Becoming a Hero
by Older than Time
Summary: A self-insert where I travel the Realm of Tamriel, making my way through the Oblivion Crisis and hopefully not die. Who knows if I'll respawn or not. If I didn't, then that would really suck... DEAD FIC - ENDING WILL PROBABLY BE ADDRESSED IN THE FUTURE OR IN 'BECOMING A LEGEND' FIC.
1. Prologue

_Hey Everyone, This is Older than Time. **The following note is the exact same one as the original for those that are new to my story. For those returning, I tweaked the sentences a bit to make it feel a bit 'smoother' and made some other changes to some essential parts of the story. Feel free to point out any mistakes or stuff that seem to make sense at first but end up sounding plain stupid.**_

_Inspiration© decided to dry-hump the back of my head until I wrote this new story. Which is odd, since she's usual nagging me to update __Descending from Heaven: Reset__ and __Magical Secrets at Sea II__…_

_Anyways, I was killing some time playing Oblivion when she came over and bashed my head in, then dry-hump/nursed the idea into my head. She wants me to do a self-insert into Elder Scrolls IV, since I used to spend so much time on it before…_

_So after a heated debate (her ranting and me listening) I decided to do it. So here's my new Oblivion story…_

_p.s. This story is somewhat serious and somewhat funny. Depends on the insanity of my mood… Some elements of the story will make me seem godlike; makes sense, since the character I use is nothing short of godly thanks to the TES4 Construction Set and the numerous mods available online… So if you don't like where I'm going with this, don't bother flaming me. I'm probably gonna ignore you…_

* * *

><p>"aaa" – normal speak<p>

"**aaa" **– Daedra/Nine Speak

"_aaa" – _NPC thoughts

_aaa – _my thoughts

aaa – Spells

_aaa_ – Inspiration© talking to me

* * *

><p><strong>Prologue – Aww shit…<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Ugh…no more tequila for me…<em>

Normal POV

A torch gently bathed the face of the sleeping young man in warmth. The smell of the water wafted from a small window above his head. A grey-skinned man sneered at the new prisoner.

"Hey, hey you," he half-shouted, startling the teen awake. "Never seen your kind before…" The guy seemed unlike the other humans that lived in Tamriel. The newly awakened teen shook his head to hasten the awakening of his mind, but immediately regretted it.

_Feels like I went toe-to-toe with the Juggernaut… After trying to out-drink the Blob…_

The teen got shakily to his feet as he leaned heavily against the rough stone wall for support. He glanced around the dim room, trying to figure out where he was. The room was a relatively large jail cell, medieval-style. It even had shackles hanging from chains…

There was a ragged cloth and pillow behind him (which must have been a bed), as well as a rickety wooden table and stool to his left. In front of him was a wrought iron bar door. Across the equally dim hallway was another cell, which contained the speaker from before…

"Feeling under the weather are we?" the shadowed man mocked in that irritating tone. "Maybe one of the guards will take pity on...whatever you are..." He gripped the bars of his cell with both hands tightly. "On second thought, it wouldn't matter in the end..."

"And why's that, huh?" the teen asked, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu. Down the hall to his right, he could hear a door open and people coming down the stairs. He could feel the mysterious man smirking.

The man suddenly leaned forward, revealing a bluish-grey face with pointed ears and silver hair. "Cause you're going to die!" he said maniacally, laughing like a madman…

The teen stumbled back in shock, the scene suddenly coming together.

_Oh shit… I'm in the fucking Elder Scrolls…_

* * *

><p><em>Review for updates, please.<em>


	2. Chapter 1

_Older than Time is back! It was a pretty quick update. Inspiration© has been a wonderful brainstorm partner these past few days. She's actually cut back on her perverted comments so we can update all my stories as soon as possible. Most of the 3__rd__ thru 10__th__ chapters of this story are ready to be put out, but I wanna make sure everything reads smoothly._

_Anyways, for text-format explanations please refer to top of Prologue._

_And here's Chapter 1!_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Becoming a Hero<strong>_

* * *

><p><em>Last time…<em>

"…The man suddenly leaned forward, revealing a bluish-grey face with pointed ears and silver hair. "Cause you're going to die!" he said maniacally, laughing like a madman…

The teen stumbled back in shock, the scene suddenly coming together.

_Oh blitznak… I'm in the fucking Elder Scrolls…"_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1 – I'm fucked…<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Fuck me sideways with a red monkey wrench…<em>

The guy couldn't believe it! He was in honest-to-God Cyrodiil! The Imperial Prison to be precise… Shit! That meant he was the main character! He took several calming breaths as the Emperor and his Blades came into view. That asshole Dreth quieted immediately and stalked to the back of his cell.

My POV

"Hey!" I cried out to the approaching group. "Where am I?" The Blades were surprised to see me in the cell; the cell was supposedly off limits.

"What's this prisoner doing here?" a female Blade asked her Redguard comrades. She was Cpt. Renault. She was pretty hot, much prettier than the developers made her look. Too bad she supposed to die in 10 minutes or so…

"Uuhh," a Redguard man was trying to give her an answer that didn't make him look stupid. Poor Glenroy, he dies in an hour…max. "Usual mix up of the Watch!"

Renault was clearly annoyed. "Nevermind," she said. "Let's just get that gate open!" I quickly retreated to the back of the cell before Glenroy could say anything; he didn't say anything at all.

_God I hope I won't get my ass killed down in the catacombs..._

Renault obviously felt a need to give me an order. She was even hotter in the flickering torchlight. "Stand back, prisoner. We'll have to kill you if you get in our way." The bluntness of the statement would have been worrying if I hadn't beaten the game so many times. The Emperor probably wouldn't let her do it once he got look at me.

The Blades entered the cell, with the Emperor between them. Baurus, the second Redguard, guarded the cell door. At least here, he was keeping an eye on the hallway and the stairs. Being in the game gave you a whole new perspective thanks to all the little things they couldn't script.

"You, I've seen you," the Emperor said in a quiet and really creepy voice. He sounded really stoned. "Let me see your face." He reached over and grabbed my jaw. He shifted my head left and right as realization dawned in his eyes.

"Please respect my personal space, Your Majesty," I said, brushing his arm away from my face. The Blades look pissed at my apparent insolence while Uriel looked vaguely amused. "I don't like being manhandled by men three times my age."

"Hmm, something lingers in your aura; something divine… So you understand what is to come?" he asked. I was spooked. _He knew!_ Ah well, he's gonna die anyways.

"Yeah, I do," I replied. "So you know that you won't last that long?" He nodded and gestured for me to follow. Renault had opened the secret passage while we were talking. Glenroy was down in the tunnel, making sure it was safe.

"Please, sire," she whispered, utterly respectful of the Emperor. She shot me a distrustful glare. "We must keep moving." Both of them made their way into the tunnel.

"Guess it's my lucky day," I said to Baurus. "Eh, Redguard?" Baurus glanced to me a smirked.

"Guess so, kid." He replied. I followed him down the tunnel. It was exactly the same as the game, only darker and dustier. "Care to tell us why a young lad like you is an esteemed guess of the Imperial Legion?" Baurus asked nonchalantly. Renault pressed a stone block on the wall that closed the section of wall behind us.

I rubbed my head, feeling my headache go away slowly. "To be completely honest; I don't know. All I remember is going out with a few friends and having a drink at the Feed Bag." I lied. "Woke up a little while ago with an aching head, a sour taste in my mouth and a strange itch in my crotch." Baurus grimaced sympathetically while Renault snorted in disgust.

"Typical," she muttered. Glenroy nodded in agreement. Guess I seem like a 'good-for-nothing' kind of guy. I shrugged and followed them through the dark catacomb. We came into the room where the Mythic Dawn assassins first appear. And lo and behold, here they come!

"Close up left," Renault said as she moved to meet them. "Protect the Emperor!" The fight was a lot longer than it was in the game; more epic too. Renault and the others were easily holding their own against the assassins, despite the special Dawn armor and mace the cultists used. But up in the shadows, I noticed another assassin appear. He was preparing a spell of some sort. It was red, which probably meant a Destruction spell.

"Hey, lady!" I cried to Renault. "DUCK!" She instantly reacted; the now identified fireball missed her by inches as she threw herself to the ground. The assassin cursed and charged to the still down Renault, trying to finish the job. I focused on the assassin and threw out my hand, willing a Fireball into existence.

It flew straight and true, blasting the cultist off the ledge and onto the lower floor. He thrashed as the flames quickly spread. Fire spells are a lot like real fire here; he soon turned to charred bones and ash. Renault got back to her feet as the other two Blades finished the other assassins. While the other two checked the bodies, Renault came back to where the Emperor and I were standing.

"Thank you," she said, a little out of breath. "I owe you my life." She nodded at me as we made our way to the gate down the stairs. I stopped at one of the cleaner bodies and pulled the robes off of one of the assassins. There was only a small tear near the kidney; the blood was just starting to seep out. They were really snug once I got them on; comfortable too.

The Emperor and his Blades had left me, locking the gate behind them.

_So much for gratitude…_

* * *

><p>I heard squeaking come from my right as the wall crumbled. Two giant rats burst through. And let me tell you, the game did not exaggerate on their size; they fucking understated. They were fucking huge; almost to my waist at their shoulders.<p>

I reached for my side when I realized that I had no weapon. Since Renault wasn't dead, I couldn't grab her Katana or that Steel Shortsword she had. I clambered onto the wall behind me as the rats crawled through the hole they made. They were scratched at the foot of the wall I was on. While I didn't have any weapons, I still had that fireball spell. I threw a Fireball at them, which to my surprise, took them both out in the blast. I guess magic is a lot stronger here…

I hopped off the ledge and pain shot up my legs. These robes weren't very protective. The soles on the built-in shoes were really thin. I could feel every bump on the floor. I decided to test that Heal Minor Wounds spell. Instead of raising my hand in the air, I rubbed my sore foot while thinking the name of the spell and focusing on my feet. It worked immediately as I felt the magicka flow from the palms of my hands straight into my feet. Not only were my feet feeling better, my headache was gone as well.

Satisfied with my work, I crouched down and crawled through the hole the rats had made. The room was dimly lit, but I knew the general layout of the place. I noticed the last giant rat across from me and threw a Fireball, which killed it instantly. Getting to my feet, I looked to my right, spotting a retting chest against the wall. I reached inside and pulled out a small sack of gold (only 3 septims) and a rusted Iron Axe. The axe was pretty sharp, so I carried it over to the skeleton that lay in the light.

It was a lot more gruesome than the game. There were broken bones and a shattered skull. The guy most likely fell in here and died. Around the bones were an old Bow, a small sack, another rotting chest, and a small Iron Dagger. I picked up the dagger, testing its edge. It was really dull, so I left it.

The bow was useless as well; the string was snapped. The quiver that was nestled under the skeleton was in a similar, useless condition. The arrows were either broken or rotted. The Leather Cuirass was full of holes and gnaws marks; it wouldn't be any good. The Leather Boots were useful. They were in good shape and fit right over the robe-shoes. With my feet sufficiently protected, I looked for more loot hidden among the bones. There were a few lockpicks; I didn't know how to use them, but remembered that they were worth a decent amount of gold, so I put those in a small pocket on the robe.

The Leather Shield was in good condition, so I grabbed that as well. Needed to block in case the upcoming rats and goblins got too close.

Seeing as I had no apparent thieving skills, I grabbed my axe and hacked away at the chest. It gave in a single swing. I peered inside, hoping that this place still followed the game somewhat. Inside was a sapphire the size of a plum and a sack of gold. Adding the gold to my own meager stash (now had 33 septims) I pocketed the small sapphire.

I looted the rest of the room and got a wooden club as long as my arm studded with spikes, more lockpicks, a torch, and a small quiver of unbroken arrows (12 iron arrows). On the goblin corpse, there had been two scrolls, Chameleon and Flashbolt, an iron key for the door near it, and a potion bottle that had a large crack in it; I left that there.

I made my way down the tunnel into the next chamber, where a goblin was creeping around the corner. I snuck as best as I could and peeked at it while clinging to the cavern wall. It was an ugly bastard; puke-green skin and all. I lifted my club and smashed its head with all my strength. It was knocked down and I whaled on it until I was sure it was dead.

_Dead goblins really stunk…but there was a surprising amount of brain matter seeping out of its skull…_

* * *

><p>I wandered through the caverns, sneaking as much as possible, stealthily taking out the goblins and rats I encountered. My club broke when I panicked and threw it at the zombie that wondered the cavern. It was a lot like the ones from Resident Evil, only naked. I was glad that it was completely unidentifiable in terms of gender…if it had been a guy…ugh…<p>

But I managed to get a good Iron dagger (hidden in my right boot) on the table near the log trap. I had army-crawled and set it off, killing the two goblins below. When I peeked over the edge, there was another goblin checking his fallen comrades. Figures that I would start running into smart_-ish_ goblins now. Luckily, he decided to leave the dead ones without checking for intruders. I looted their bodies and the nearby chests; got a semi-rusted Iron Bow, two arrows (now had 14 in my quiver) and an Iron Shortsword, which I stuck in my quiver. I didn't need it clanking against my axe.

The goblin from before had his back to me. He was scratching his ass and, to my immense disgust, specks of brown and green fell with each scratch. His loincloth was ready to fall off, so I quickly split his head open with my axe.

In the large cavern beyond were the goblin shaman and his minions. Like before, I army-crawled and yanked on the hanging rope, which released the fenced in rats. They took out the goblin in the pit and distracted the other two minions long enough for me two nail them with a Fireball a piece. But sadly, the shaman was really smart. He figured out where I was and started firing bursts of lightning at me from his staff. I managed to dodge the first few and blocked the last one with a Fireball (that had been really awesome; the explosion of fire and lightning was wicked cool). I threw a few more Fireballs at him and charged forward when he stumbled back. After quickly shoving my shortsword into his chest, I decided to forgo looting the cavern and made my way up to the door out.

_This has been cool, but know I wanna go home…_

* * *

><p><em>And that was Chapter 1. Expect quick updates because Inspiration© is being a helpful voice in my head and not a perverted one…<em>


	3. Chapter 2

_And here's Chapter 2!_

_Disclaimer:__ I don't own Oblivion or any other things that don't actually belong to me_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Becoming a Hero<strong>_

* * *

><p><em>Last time…<em>

"…In the large cavern beyond were the goblin shaman and his minions. Like before, I army-crawled and yanked on the hanging rope, which released the fenced in rats. They took out the goblin in the pit and distracted the other two minions long enough for me two nail them with a Fireball a piece. But sadly, the shaman was really smart. He figured out where I was and started firing bursts of lightning at me from his staff. I managed to dodge the first few and blocked the last one with a Fireball (that had been really awesome; the explosion of fire and lightning was wicked cool). I threw a few more Fireballs at him and charged forward when he stumbled back. After quickly shoving my shortsword into his chest, I decided to forgo looting the cavern and made my way up to the door out.

_This has been cool, but know I wanna go home…"_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2 – Birthsigns in Translation<strong>

* * *

><p>Baurus looked at me in alarm as I stepped into the light. "Why did you put those on?" he demanded. The Emperor looked at me curiously while Renault and Glenroy spun around to see what was going on.<p>

"The clothes I had before smelled of stake piss," I bluntly replied. Baurus nodded in understanding. Glenroy and Renault snorted with mild amusement.

"I understand the feeling," Uriel added in. The Blades looked at him like he was insane, but quickly schooled their features. I chuckled. Uriel, according to Elder Scrolls Lore, had supposedly traveled Tamriel randomly disguised as a beggar to better understand his subjects. I think he just wanted to get out of the palace without getting mobbed.

The eccentricities of old men in positions of power aside, we (The Blades, Uriel, and I) made our way into the next chamber. Along the way, I discovered that the Sign I was born under in real life (Virgo) was the Tamrielic equivalent of The Lady, which would have given me a +10 in endurance and personality in the game. In this world, it meant I was much more sympathetic to others and patience was my virtue. Also, on a more perverted note, it gave me 'the stamina of the most energetic lover'; Uriel's words, not mine.

We ran into the expected assassins in the next chamber. I think the more skilled assassins were wasted on Uriel's three sons. These guys were rather pathetic or it could be that I was just getting that good; I really hope it was the latter. I think the Blades were surprised by my skills as well.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Renault asked as we made our way to the last chamber where we were supposed to be ambushed and Uriel kicks the bucket. "Some of those moves should be impossible and your battle style is something only an insane idiot would attempt."

I chuckled and readjusted my hood, deepening the shadow over my face. "Impossible is a word for the weak and unbending," I said to her, sending a trickle of magicka into my eyes for an ominous glowing effect. "And Insanity is a perfectly rational adjustment to an insane world." Renault was attempting to puzzle it out when Glenroy yelled.

"Damn, the gate's barred from the other side! It's a trap!"

"What about that side passage?" Baurus said, pointing out an open gate. I motioned Renault to remain with the Emperor. I walked over and checked it, even though I knew what was there.

"It's a dead end, Glenroy." He stalked over, still suspicious of me. He went inside and looked around, shining his torch to chase away the shadows. He grunted in desperation.

"Sire, please wait here while we search for another way out," he said, as the Emperor and Renault followed us in with Baurus guarding the hall. Baurus suddenly called out.

"Assassins!"

"Stay here, Glenroy." Renault commanded the Redguard. "We'll take care of them." I smirked. This was new.

As she raced out to aid Baurus, I turned and tossed the Flashbolt Scroll to Glenroy. "Just in case…" He nodded in thanks, very reluctantly mind you.

I raced out and joined Renault and Baurus combating the assassins. I threw one weak Fireball after another, making sure that neither of the two was caught in the blasts. Sadly, an assassin snuck up behind me and managed to stab me in the thigh. Let me just say this; getting stabbed is never a nice thing.

_Dibella's tits! That fuckin' hurts!_

Yeah, I went down like a rock, but managed to twist around and tossed a Fireball at the bastard's smug face. Not so hot now are ya, asshole? Well technically, he's majorly hot seeing as he's on fire…

Anyways, Baurus ran back to check Glenroy and Uriel as Renault helped me to my feet. I waved off her offers to bandage it as I slowly healed it. I learned that if you continually pump magicka into the wound after you cast the spell, the Heal Minor Wounds spell mimics a Regeneration spell. It probably costs more magicka in the long run. After reassuring her that I was able to walk, we headed into the tunnel to join the Emperor.

Sadly, but not surprisingly, the Emperor was dead. He got stabbed when an assassin jumped out of a secret passage. Glenroy got taken by surprise and got stabbed in the neck, right between the lip of his helm and the collar of his armor. Baurus and Renault were mourning the Emperor when I noticed the Amulet of Kings laying off to the side, partially hidden by the flickering shadows. I reached over and picked it up, but froze as I was assaulted by a vision.

"…_Take the Amulet to Weynon Priory… Give it to Jauffre… Find... son… Find Martin… dragonfire…close shut… Oblivion…"_

I was shaken back to reality by a worried Renault and Baurus. I was hunched over, loosely grasping the Amulet. "Are you alright?" she asked softly.

"Yes," I whispered. "But I think Uriel left us a message in the Amulet." I lifted the Amulet up to my chest. "I was hit with a vision when I picked this up. The Emperor was speaking to me. I have to get to Weynon Priory." I looked at them carefully, making sure that I didn't say anything too outrageous. "I need to find someone named Jauffre and give him this Amulet."

Baurus was skeptical and Renault was less than pleased. "Very well, we'll guard the Emperor and make sure no one follows you." Renault pulled out a map and showed me what route I should take.

"Once you exit the sewers, there will be a small dock where a boat will be waiting. Take the boat straight across Lake Rumare to this Ayleid ruin, Vilverin. Watch out for bandits, there's supposedly a band of them hiding there."

I nodded and gestured for her to continue. "Head up the hill and you'll be on the Red Ring Road. Follow the road east and as it curves south. There will be a road that leads further east a quarter mile before you reach Weye, called the Black Road. Follow that, but be wary; it passes through the Great Forest, which is always full of cutthroats and thieves. Hopefully you'll run into an Imperial patrol that could escort you through. Weynon Priory will be just before you reach Chorrol, but after you reach the Odiil Farm."

"Got it," I said. I took the map and slipped it up my sleeve. It was secured by the attached gloves of the robes.

"The best of luck to you," she said, but her eyes widened for a moment. "I just realized, we never got your name."

"Oh," I said, slightly surprised. I never realized I hadn't told them. Since it was probably a bad idea to use my real name, I made up one that was close enough. It was a rough translation of my real one. "My name's Arthur, Arthur Lost-Saint."

"Arthur Lost-Saint? Sounds like an Imperial name, but you don't look like an Imperial, or a Breton as a matter of fact." Baurus stated, a little curious. Renault was probably wondering the same thing.

"It's not, and I'm not exactly any of those," I said. "Arthur is Imperial, given to me by a sailor that found me on an island off the coast of Akavir." The two seemed confused, from the look on their faces. "I was found in a shipwrec. One of the men had noticed the debris and sailed over to check it out. They found me and took care of me. When they turned me over to the authorities, they named me Arthur. My surname comes from the wreck I was found in. The ship had been called the Wandering Saint. So I became Arthur Lost-Saint, the last survivor of the lost Wandering Saint." Renault nodded in understanding.

"Well, if there's anything else…" I trailed off, just waiting for one of them to ask what class I was. For some reason, when I finished telling them my 'past', a strange tingly feeling raced from my head, down. It was the same as when I learned my birthsign was the Lady. Felt like I was actually starting to exist in this world, becoming more grounded in this existence.

"What do you specialize as?" Baurus called out as I was clambering through the secret passage. I turned and called out quickly.

"I'm an Assassin!" I yelled, laughing as I ran. Renault and Baurus looked at each other worriedly.

_They just trusted an unknown assassin with the future of the empire… May the Nine help us all…_

I breathed in the fresh air, glad to be out of the sewers. They were a lot worse than they had looked in-game. The goblins were dead, long since overrun by the numerous rats I had blown up with many Fireballs. I like to to think that you can never have too much firepower and excessive violence when it comes to survival. When I reached the bars blocking my exit, it felt like the world stopped. This was the end of the tutorial; now it was the real deal. I felt a strange energy ripple through me; a warmth filled my body and pulsed like a slowly racing heart. It thumped faster and faster before coming to an abrupt halt. Shaking off the weirdness, I left the sewers and stepped into the sunlight.

* * *

><p>After admiring the real world of Tamriel, I made my way up the hill to the Imperial City Market District to sell my various, legally-obtained loot and get some decent gear. As I passed the Imperial Prison, a ball of light appeared in front of my face.<p>

"Hey Artie!" it squeaked. Funny, for a second that sounded like Inspiration©; but she's just a voice in my head. The light faded a bit and became just how I envisioned her to look (think of a beautiful woman scaled down to six inches).

_She was hotter than I imagined…_

"How have you been?" she asked, zooming up real close to my face. "I've been looking everywhere for you! I checked the Narutoverse, the Bleachverse, the Potterverse, and even the Zombieverse! But here you are in the Realms of the Elder Scrolls!" Shaken out of my Inspiration©-induced stupor, I chuckled at her worried face. She pouted cutely at my chuckles.

"Relax; I've been doing pretty well. Not to be rude, but how are you outside my head?" I asked, seriously confused.

"Oh, it's because you left your physical body and you managed to stabilize your spiritual presence in this realm as a physical one. That gave me form as well, at least, temporarily." She answered.

"What do you mean by temporarily" I asked. Was she gonna disappear or something; cause that would really suck.

"Yeah, I have to return to your physical body. You're in an alcohol-induced coma right now. I can restore your mind if you wanna go back to your real world now." She added another thought. "Or I could get a chunk of your soul that'll restore itself in your other body. That will make you two separate Art's…"

"Let's go with that last one. Cyrodiil is counting on me, Inspiration©." I answered. I was gonna finish this. The Emperor died for real; I wasn't gonna let more real/imaginary real people die when I could make things better. Besides, I knew the general outcome of things.

"Ok, but do you want any of the cool doohickeys that you use to make your game back home better?" she asked. Did she mean my mods? That would be kick ass!

"Hell yeah, girl!" I shouted. Those would make me live a lot longer and become a real badass hero!

"'Kay. Which ones do you want?" She pulled out a large parchment out of nowhere that listed the various mods I had available. A few were missing though.

"Hey, why are some missing?" she looked at me like I was stupid.

"Because those ones are rather redundant in this world, like your _**Natural Environment**_ mod and the _**Enhanced Realism**_ mod." She pointed to various mods on the list. "The ones on here are those that will make you strong, but not godly. Also, they won't break the fabric of the reality."

I gulped and nodded quickly. Wouldn't be a good thing if I invalidated existence. I looked at the list again and narrowed them down to these choices:

_**Assassin's Creed – Altair's Armor**_

_**Spell Deflection Shield**_

_**Bag of Holding**_

_**Anduril Reforged**_

_**DMC Devilbringer (version altered by me)**_

These would hopefully make this experience a lot more…survivable for a gamer/modder who spends most of his time either at work, in class or on a computer. Which meant little to no actual physical combat experience outside that dungeon…

The first one, Altair's Armor, would give me a semi-permanent set of armor to wear when trying to sneak around. It was enchanted to Silence my footsteps, but also reflect minor physical and spell damage. It was roughly equal to mithril armor in defensive potential, but was half as light as Leather Armor.

Next was the Spell Deflection Shield, which allowed me to use any shield to redirect spell thrown my way. But only if they were projectile spells; area-affect ones would still work on me. It would compliment my Altair Armor if I could get a leather shield the size of a server's platter. The one I have is way too big.

The third, the Bag of Holding, would allow me to carry an unlimited number of items without worrying about weight. I only wonder how I'm supposed to put stuff in or take them out…

Anduril Reforged was a special weapon mod that puts the Flame of the West from Lord of the Rings in Cyrodiil. This gives me a sword on the same power level as an Ebony Claymore, but weighs as much as a Steel Longsword. It's unenchanted, but easily ignores normal weapon resistance.

Lastly, my version of the DMC Devilbringer mod; I got it and modded myself so I could summon the Devilbringer for a short period of time, which here would equal to roughly 10 minutes, depending on my magicka reserves. I remember putting a bunch of contingency scripts on it so I could only use it when certain conditions were met.

Satisfied with my choices, Inspiration© shot a beam of light at me and disappeared in a flash of light herself. When I opened my eyes, I was garbed in the Robes of the Assassin, Anduril rested at my left hip and the Bag of Holding tied to my waist. All my previous gear was gone, presumably in the Bag. I sent a silent thank you and farewell to Inspiration© and continued onto the Market District.

_I'm gonna miss you girl… You were way hotter than I imagined…_

* * *

><p><em>And that was Chapter 2! What do ya think, all you men and mer?<em>


	4. Chapter 3

_Older then Time here! **This is a slightly rewritten story for the sake of my own insanity. For those new to this story**, I'm in Cyrodiil and have to somehow figure out a way to save all of Tamriel from Mehrunes Dagon. Luckily, I've played this story so many times that I can remember almost all the important details. And thanks to my wonderful fairy/muse/sexy-voice-in-my-head, I've got a few advantages to help me on my journey._

_I also managed to save Captain Renault from her fate; how will this affect the future?_

_But to recap in case you forgot, thanks to __**Inspiration©**__, I gained the Armor of Altair, the Spell Deflection Shield, the Bag of Holding, Anduril Reforged, DMC Devilbringer (Summonable)mods for the TES4: Oblivion game to aid me in my real/fantasy quest._

_Now on with the chapter!_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Becoming a Hero<strong>_

* * *

><p>"…Satisfied with my choices, Inspiration© shot a beam of light at me and disappeared in a flash of light herself. When I opened my eyes, I was garbed in the Robes of the Assassin, Anduril rested at my left hip and the Bag of Holding tied to my waist. All my previous gear was gone, presumably in the Bag. I sent a silent thank you and farewell to Inspiration© and continued onto the Market District.<p>

_I'm gonna miss you girl… You were way hotter than I imagined…"_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3 – Sex in the City<strong>

* * *

><p>Once again, I was awed by the plethora of differences between this Tamriel and the in-game version. The game was bland and boring compared to this amazing district. I was standing at the main intersection of the Imperial Market District, completely immersed in a crowd of people. Apparently, there was a bazaar going on today. There were the standard shops from the game, doors open and little kids calling out to potential customers and waving flyers. There was a boy on the corner screaming out the latest news on the Black Horse Courier.<p>

Unlike the game, Uriel's death and the assassination of his sons weren't the big news just yet. According to this news flyer I bought for a septim (now have 52 left), the Thieves Guild was back on the prowl; numerous sightings of the Grey Fox were being reported all over Cyrodiil. Guess that the Count of Anvil just received the Cowl of Nocturnal, which was a really ugly mask.

Looking around, I perused the various stalls set up. The stalls under the shelter near the Merchant's Inn were full of food and household goods. I went into the _Red Diamond_ and managed to sell the small sapphire I had for 20 gold (giving me 72 septims total).

Over at _A Fighting Chance_, I sold my Leather Shield, the rusty Iron Bow, and the Iron Axe for 60 gold, but haggled for a Fine Iron Longsword, costing me 70 gold, leaving me 62 septims. I hopped over to _the Feedbag_ for some cheap grub, settling for a bunch of grapes, a half-loaf of bread, and a free cup of mead for a 2 septim bazaar-day special. _The Feedbag_ was pretty rowdy, full of Nords, Wood Elves, a Dark Elf, and there were a few Imperials near my right. I finished my meal and headed over to _Divine Elegance_.

As I made my way through the thickening crowd, I noticed my coin bag lighten a bit. I immediately turned and spotted a Redguard quickly making his way to an alley. I followed him, Assassin's Creed-style, into the alley and, unsurprisingly, into the sewers.

_I hope these robes don't stain…_

The sewers here weren't that bad. It was dimly lit; the brazier at the bottom of the stairs was only partially ablaze. I could see the pickpocket counting out the gold he stole from me. I checked my Armor to see if any of Altair's weaponry was usable. My face lit up with glee when the wrist-blade unsheathed itself silently; I was taking this guy out in style! I crept quietly to the edge of the platform and measured the range between me and the thief. My eyes sort of locked on to him and I jumped almost completely silent. My robe made very little noise as I descended upon him, the blade easily finding his throat.

The blood ran freely from his jugular as I lifted his ill-gotten wares from the ground. I managed to recover the septims I lost as well as an additional 40 septims (giving me an even 100 septims). I crouched down next to him and gently closed his eyes in respect for the dead. A chill went up my spine as the air seemed to whisper…

_Your murderous action has been observed by forces unknown…_

Well shit, I guess I'm gonna be seeing Lucien Lachance very soon. I rummaged through the dead thief's pockets and came up with 2 lockpicks and an unopened bottle of mead. I glanced around the chamber, noting the closed gate. I decided to venture back to the surface and finish my loot-selling.

I left Mystic Emporium with a new Flametouch and Heal Major Wounds spell. It seems that once you learn the next tier of spell, the previous one becomes an instinctive spell. My Heal Minor Wounds can be activated by rubbing my hands together to charge the magicka. I then lay my charged-hands on the affected area, which is then healed. The Heal Major Wounds has to be activated the same way, I just need to think the words.

I could also instinctively differentiate between a touch and target spell. The Flametouch engulfs my palm with a burning heat that can be lethal if I grab someone's face or the area near their heart. Otherwise, it will just disable whatever limb I manage to touch. I was surprised to find out that armor can be melted away with a strong enough fire or disintegration spell, as in literally melted away.

I quickly ran through my inventory, taking note of my much emptier Bag. The Mythic Dawn robe and hood were sold to Palonirya, the Clothier at _Divine Elegance_. They appeared exotic to her, so I sold them for 60 gold (giving me 160 septims). Urbul gro-Orkulg, the weapons dealer at _Slash'n'Smash_ bought all my lockpicks for 120 gold (giving me 280 septims), but I bought a Steel Bow and 16 Iron arrows, evening my quiver out at 30 arrows for a discounted 100 septims (so I'm back down to 180 septims).

I decided to head a store over to the _Best Defense_ and see what armor they had there, as well as to sell my Leather Boots.

"—_get an extra outfit to be less conspicuous, Art!—"_

I started in surprise. Was that Inspiration©?

"—_yes you nincompoop! I can only do this every few days, so listen up! Get another outfit for travelling the roads, because a white robed traveler armed to the teeth is very eye-catching and memorable. A traveler wearing scruffy leather and chainmail wouldn't be given a second thought, got it?—"_

I mentally agreed as the connection cut out. It sounded like a short-wave radio from WWI was being used. So I headed into the _Best Defense_ and haggled with the two armor merchants and got the pieces I needed for my remaining 180 gold.

* * *

><p>I quickly made my way back into the sewer. After making sure I was alone, I changed into my new-ish outfit. It consisted of my old Leather Boots, a pair of loose Green Pants, a Green Brocade Shirt, and a pair of Iron Gauntlets. I stored Anduril in the Bag with my Armor; I traded them with my new Steel Bow and the full quiver of arrows. I secured the quiver and bow to my back and decided to now make my way to the Priory.<p>

After coming back to the small dock near the Sewer Exit, I double checked the planned route. I had to be very careful. While the game only had a few attacks by the Mythic Dawn and the occasional bandit/highwayman, I didn't want to take any chances. I waited for nightfall and slowly rowed through Lake Rumare. But instead of heading across to Vilverin, I followed the shore east and south until I was sure I was where the Black Road met the Red Circle Road.

I lucked out and landed the boat just downhill form the crossroad. I crawled and checked over the hilltop to see if there was anyone around. Sadly, there was this Argonian in full Leather Armor with a Longsword at his side. I slowly walked up to meet him, my hands appearing to relax behind my back; in reality, I was charging up a Fireball.

"Greetings traveler," the Argonian rasped out. He sounded like a cross between Voldemort and a lispy teenager. Chalur is but a poor wanderer and am hoping for someone to escort Chalur to the city of Chorrol. Chalur would go himself, but fears the bandits that lurk the Great Forest."

_Yeah, that sounded rehearsed…and really cheesy…_

"So, what business do you have in Chorrol, Argonian?" I asked, surreptitiously checking the sides of the road. I spotted a few other Argonians sneaking to my left and right, slowly flanking me. I could hear the faint _schlick_ of them unsheathing their weapons.

"Chalur is Chalur and wish to be united with Chalur's darling betrothed, Dar-Ma." That was strange; he got a real soft, lovey-dovey look on his face. The other Argonians were slowly getting closer.

"Well, if that's the case, we better get going," I said, somewhat quietly. The Argonian looked at me funny when I signaled with my eyes to the left and right. He secretly followed my gaze and spotted the others as well. His eyes widened in panic as he reached for his sword, a Silver Longsword if I wasn't mistaken. I took a gamble and loosed my hidden spell at the Argonian to my right. It struck him, killing him instantly while Chalur skewered the other.

"I thank you for the warning stranger. These wished for Chalur's gold and heart." Chalur rasped as he nudged the one he killed with his foot.

"How do you know that, Chalur?" I asked him. He turned to me and sheathed his sword.

"Because this one is Chalur's nest-brother," he replied sadly. "He had challenged Chalur for right to mate with beloved Dar-Ma, but Chalur defeated him. Now brother tried to kill Chalur for DarMa. But brother failed and shamed himself forever." Chalur shrugged tiredly and I checked the other corpse; nothing but an Iron Dagger. I had one hidden in my boot so I hid it in my other one.

"Well, that's life. Let's get going, Chalur. We can be in Chorrol by midnight if we don't make any stops." Chalur nodded, but nervously followed me as we wandered along the Black Road through the Great Forest.

The moons were high in the sky when we arrived at Chorrol. We passed Weynon Priory since I wanted to escort Chalur all the way to Chorrrol. The Argonian was seriously incapable of finding his way around. The guards checked us briefly for contraband and let us in. We walked quickly inside and headed to the building on our left.

It was the _Northern Goods and Trade_ store where Seed-Neeus and Dar-Ma lived. "Here's their house, Chalur. Hope you and Dar-Ma have a happy engagement." I patted him on the back, slightly shoving him to the door. All the candles near the windows were lit, so someone must be awake.

"Chalur thanks Arthur for guiding Chalur to Chorrol." He said as he reached into his pack and pulled out a small handful of coins. "Take this as sign of gratitude and friendship." I took the coins (20 gold) and thanked him for his generosity. As I walked away from him, I looked back and saw Dar-Ma open the door and embrace Chalur. It warmed me like rotten mud-crab flesh…

_One happy ending down…_

* * *

><p>I managed to convince the gate guards to let me out and got to Weynon Priory quickly. One of the monks, Brother Piner let me in when I asked for a place to sleep for the night. He directed me to an available bed on the second story loft on the left of the stairs. I disarmed and went straight to sleep.<p>

I swear, the second I closed my eyes, I was woken up by a figure shrouded in a black robe and hood. That bastard! Couldn't he have waited until morning! Lachance went through his obviously rehearsed dialogue while I responded sleepily that I would kill Rufio. Satisfied that I was actually coherent enough, Lachance handed me my own Blade of Woe, which wasn't an Ebony Dagger like I thought it would be. It was a plain Silver Dagger. I shrugged and went back to sleep. Just one more thing on my to-do list.

_Next guy who wakes me up gets an elbow to the balls…_

* * *

><p><em>A<em>_nd there's chapter 3._


	5. Chapter 4

_Older Than Time with another update for Becoming a Hero! For those that have checked out my other stories, never fear!_

_Dislcaimer: I don't own Oblivion or any other things that aren't mine in this story._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Becoming a Hero<strong>_

* * *

><p>"…I swear, the second I closed my eyes, I was woken up by a figure shrouded in a black robe and hood. That bastard! Couldn't he have waited until morning! Lachance went through his obviously rehearsed dialogue while I responded sleepily that I would kill Rufio. Satisfied that I was actually coherent enough, Lachance handed me my own Blade of Woe, which wasn't an Ebony Dagger like I thought it would be. It was a plain Silver Dagger. I shrugged and went back to sleep. Just one more thing on my to-do list.<p>

_Next guy who wakes me up gets an elbow to the balls…"_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4 – "Attempted rape…"<strong>

* * *

><p>Brother Piner woke me up gently, being very considerate of the late hour in which I arrived. For that kindness, I didn't smash the brother's balls...too hard. I followed him as he limped downstairs and joined the monks and workers for a meal consisting of bread, a small dab of butter, a nice red apple, and a wondrous slice of fresh-roasted lamb…it was delicious…<p>

Brother Piner was going to bring Jauffre his meal, but I volunteered to take it up since I had some private business to discuss with him. Carefully balancing both Jauffre's and my meal, I headed up the stairs on the right and spotted him on the desk in front of the window. Considering that he's the secret Grandmaster of the Blades, shouldn't he sit in a more protected spot? I mean, his back it to a painted, but still transparent, glass window. Someone could take him out with an arrow or shove him backwards and out the window, chair and all!

* * *

><p><span>My POV<span>

"Hello Brother Jauffre," I said politely. He glanced up at me and realized I wasn't one of the monks or workers. "Here's your breakfast." I set his plate down in front of him, but he glanced at both the plate and me suspiciously. I rolled my eyes at his paranoia but understood his hesitancy; it's not paranoia if they're _really_ out to get ya…

"It's not poisoned," I stated as I started eating again. "I need you coherent and alive for this message." I was deemed dangerous immediately as Jauffre quickly stood up and pulled an iron dagger from under his monk robes. I hastily added, "It's about the Emperor and his missing son," so he wouldn't kill me for being an idiot.

"Very well then," Jauffre said as he settled back in his chair. "What do you know of the Emperor's death?" Then he did the most cliché pose ever. He put his elbows on the table, steepled his fingers, and leaned forward slightly to signify interest; it was the wise, yet curious old man pose. I snickered internally at the image of Jauffre in Dumbledore's robes. The man looked entirely too serious.

I reached into my Bag of Holding and pulled out the Amulet of Kings. Dropping it in front of Jauffre, I said, "He somehow gave me a vision of what to do with this after he died." Jauffre was gingerly picking up the Amulet, examining it with undisguised awe and sorrow. "He said to bring it to Weynon Priory, find Jauffre, find his son Martin, and 'close shut…oblivion…' before the vision ended." Jauffre nodded in understanding.

"The Emperor most likely knew what was to come. It's the Dragon's Blood that flowed through his veins." Jauffre looked contemplative and glanced back at me. "I'll check with my contacts and locate Martin. You're free to do what you wish until then."

"How will you contact me, old man?" I whispered to Jauffre. Another traveler had entered the Priory.

"I'll send you a coded message," he replied, mindful of the newcomer. He quickly tucked the Amulet inside his robes. "Remember the words 'Imperial', 'lost', and 'dragon' in that specific order." We both got up and he led me downstairs to the stables outside. "Take my horse," he gestured to a Chestnut stallion. "Try to keep near the Imperial City; but if you must travel, stick to the main roads. Take no chances."

I nodded and mounted the horse, quickly galloping up the northern path around Chorrol. I made a sharp turn into the bushes once I had gone a good distance from the Priory. The hoof beats of another horse had appeared, so I led the Chestnut into the thicket and crept back up to the road.

_Someone's following me…Hope it's an overly curious Legion patrol…_

Searching from the top of a Roan horse sat a burly Nord wearing a near-complete set of Fur Armor. The only thing missing was the helm. I must have made too many moves, because he got off his horse and made his way to my hiding spot.

"Hallo there!" he cried out into the thicket I hid in. "I have a message for one Arthur Lost-Saint from a Miss Marianne Renault?" I slowly stood up, my bow out and an arrow nocked.

"Oh really," I said, utterly suspicious. "If what you say is true, then what was the name of the sailor that found me adrift in the Niben Bay?" The Nord froze and said,

"His name was Salius?" I quickly took aim and fired the arrow at his head. It got him right in the temple and he collapsed backwards. I cautiously approached his body, wary of more men or mer. Satisfied that I was alone, I searched his body, coming up with a purple book called '_Commentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes, Vol. 1'_. He was a Mythic Dawn agent, all right…

I checked him for anything else, but came up empty. He hadn't even carried a weapon… wait, these guys summon their own weapons… I forgot about that…

Kicking his body to the side of the road, I lead the Roan mare to my new Chestnut and tethered the Roan to my horse's saddle. Mounting up, I got us back on the road and north-east on the Orange Road towards Bruma. I could probably sell the Roan there; selling the Chestnut Juaffre gave me would have been rude.

* * *

><p><em>Bruma was cold.<em>

Not just cold though, it was so fuckin' cold, that when I sneezed, my spit froze halfway out of my mouth.

I got an awesome deal for the horse, a whopping 2000 gold (giving me 2020 septims in my Bag). I looked around Bruma, but there wasn't much to see. The Fighter's Guild wasn't accepting any new members just yet, and that stupid Breton woman at the Mages Guild took one look at me and sent me away. I was currently sulking in _Olav's Tap & Tack_, sipping at the heart-warming mead to stave off the chill. There was a Dark Elf guy reading near the fireplace and two guards in yellow covered chainmail sat at the only table, complaining about the weather and lack of action.

I was bored and had to wait out the snow storm. It wasn't anything big by Bruma's standards, but I would've gotten lost on my way to the Imperial City. So here I am, sitting in a dingy, yet homey, pub all alone. I wished I had some company, but that would have been a little too convenient, wouldn't it?

Apparently, wishing actually gets you shit here, because the door quickly opened and shut. Standing there shaking the snow off of their clothes were Renault and two Imperials. All three were dressed for the weather, wearing thick fur coats and woolen clothing. The two Imperials were ordering some drinks when Renault spotted me in the back of the room. She quickly made her way over, adopting a serious expression.

"So, here's where you've been hiding," she stated coolly. She appeared annoyed, but I couldn't figure out what she could be mad about. I waved hello and she arched her brow. Ok, so she was really pissed. Her right foot was starting to tap as she crossed her arms; all signs of an annoyed or angry woman. Often, they were signs of her being both.

"So, how have you been?" I asked slowly. She was really scaring me, yet it was a real turn-on. Is that wrong? It must have been the wrong thing to say, because grabbed me by the collar and dragged me up the stairs. She called out to the proprietor,

"Olav! I'm taking the room at the end of the hall! Disturb me and die!" The other patrons shrugged at the scene while the two men that came in with her stared after in disbelief.

She threw me onto the bed and locking the door behind her, but also barricaded it with the dresser for good measure.

"C-capt-tain R-ren-nault! Th-think ab-bout what you're doing!" I stuttered out as I retreated against the wooden wall. "We barely know each other!" I yelled out as she gripped my shirt again and pinned me to the bed.

"You can scream all you like," she whispered at me in a deceptively sweet voice. "I Silenced the entire room. That means no noise is gonna escape…" She let out a maniacal giggle that made me pale dramatically as all the blood went straight south.

_This is so hot…_

Renault suddenly sat up and crossed her arms, staring at me imperiously. "Who are you really?" She asked in a firm, no-nonsense voice. It appears that the whole thing was a ruse to get my guard down. It worked, but unfortunately, the voice was still making me horny as hell…

"What do you mean by that?" I asked as I slowly shifted my body to avoid any awkward situations.

"I meant what I said," she grounded out, leaning in close while lightly grasping my shoulders so I could feel the full force of her glare. The intimidation didn't work out quite well, as it gave me the unfortunate opportunity to feel 'Her' grind up against Arthur Junior. "I asked who _the bleedin' hell_ are you?"

Renault shook me roughly as she went on a tirade on what she went through trying to find out who I was. The Prison Ledger had no record of any arrests of any kind for the last month, let alone having someone confined to a jail cell for severe inebriation in public. She also stated that she tried finding me in the Citizen's Registry and found no trace of Arthur Lost-Saint anywhere, which was almost everywhere in Tamriel.

She finally lost her steam as she huffed and glared at me, demanding answers through her eyes. I got to admit, when Renaults not in her armor and is very angry, she's hot as hell. She gripped my shirt one more time and demanded in a quiet, terrifying voice, "Tell…Me…Who…You…Are…"

I nodded immediately and didn't put up any resistance; reason one, she was angry enough to potentially castrate me with a soggy wooden spoon. Reason two, the grinding was getting worse. If she noticed, she might castrate me on principle.

"I can't exactly tell you," I said as we sat next to each other on the bed. She got another real angry look on her face, so I quickly added, "It's not that I don't want to; it's just that I can't."

"Why not?" she angrily shouted. I sighed and made up another false tale.

"Because you aren't a high enough rank to know yet." She looked at me, quite unbelieving. "No really, you aren't a high enough rank to know even the minor details. All I can tell you without having to execute you is that the Emperor knew I would be in that cell, that there would be no record of a prisoner there, and knew he was going to die in those caverns."

Renault's eyes watered when I said that last part. I guess that she thought it was all her fault that the Emperor died. She sobbed silently, while I attempted to comfort her. Her sobs eventuslly subsided and we sat there in contemplative silence.

"What would my crime have been that would require you to execute me?" she asked quite suddenly. I glanced at her and said two words,

"High Treason"

Her moist eyes widened exponentially as her mouth fell into a shocked 'o'. I nodded at her when she looked at me, hoping I was joking.

_I wasn't joking, but I was lying…_

* * *

><p><em>That was Chapter 3, what do ya think?<em>

_Please read & review for potential sneak peeks, spoilers, and answers to your unanswered questions._


	6. Chapter 5

_Older Than Time with another update for Becoming a Hero! For those that have checked out my other stories, never fear for they will be updated as soon as I get settled in school!_

_Inspiration© has declared that I will get no striptease unless I update this story at least once a week…_

_Dislcaimer: I don't own Oblivion or any other things that aren't mine in this story._

_P.S. There are gonna be a few essential flashbacks in this chapter, sorry for those that hate them _

* * *

><p><em><strong>Becoming a Hero<strong>_

"High Treason"

Her moist eyes widened exponentially as her mouth fell into a shocked 'o'. I nodded at her when she looked at me, hoping I was joking.

_I wasn't joking, but I was lying…_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5 – An Ironically Welcome Stalker<strong>

* * *

><p>It's been three weeks since I delivered the Amulet to Jauffre. It's been a trying three weeks since I gave that little tidbit of false information to Renault as well. So far, there has been no word on Martin's location and there have been a few assassination attempts on my life courtesy of the Mythic Dawn.<p>

You'd think that a Daedric Cult that succeeded in killing the Emperor and his two _legitmate_ sons would have highly skilled assassins at their disposal. If so, I must rank pretty low on their 'Must-Kill' list, mainly because of the sheer incompetence of the guys they send to kill me. Seriously, these guys are idiots!

The last one was hoot, let me tell you! The guy was wandering around the _Imperial Market District_ of all places; in broad daylight, while wearing the frickin' robes of the Mythic Dawn! He was practically telling everyone that he was out to kill someone with his bad attitude, blatant attempts at bribing others for my location, and most importantly, he was carrying a poisoned iron longsword in his hand; _in front of the frickin' Legion!_

The site of this man had greeted me during my scheduled excursion to the Market for supplies. I went there every other day to sell the crap I take from my dead would-be assassins and the random highwayman/marauder/bandit. I see this guy threatening a beggar wearing his Mythic Dawn robes while the guards, as well as the beggar, look at him like he's crazy. Finally, after many sad attempts at intimidation and bribery, the beggar takes pity on him and points me out.

The guy whirls around and finds me laughing my guts out behind on the steps of the Merchant's Inn. I watch his face go from confusion, to shock, then embarrassment, and settle on rage. He lifted the sword high in the air and charges at me screaming about the 'coming of the new dawn'. I shake my head at the guards and pull out _Anduril_.

The battle, if you could call it that, was extremely anti-climactic. As I readied myself for a skillful strike worthy of Altair, the stupid idiot trips on a stray loaf of bread, falls on his face, and knocks himself out. The beggar and the guards are dying of excessive, extreme laughter while I'm facepalming repeatedly.

_What a lame ass…_

I nudged the guy with my foot a couple of times as the guards came up to me, having recovered from their laughing fits.

"Citizen (stifles more chuckles). Can we be of any assistance?" one smirking guard asks while his partner is still attempting to reign in his unmanly giggles. I glance sarcastically at the unconscious Mythic Dawn agent and sigh loudly.

"If you must," I say in a say in a dramatic manner. I assume a bad actor's stance and begin my spew. "Oh woe is me, oh woe is me. I am besieged by this villainous heathen of maroon robes. Please good sir, will you assist me in my plight? I am but a pitiful wanderer robed in white, seeking the shelter of your gracious city's walls."

The guards decide to play along as the idiot lifts himself off the ground. "But of course, good citizen." The smirking guard answers me in a similar manner. "We, the noble Legion, are bound by the ancient laws of duty and righteousness to aid any who are afflicted by the evils of the world. Let us take this villain to yonder tower, so that we may keep you safe and him in a place far from the innocent; a place where only the wicked dwell, guarded by the most noble and brave." His laughing partner takes the groggy man's sword and gives it me, easily restraining the agent. The smirking guard takes a dramatic stage bow and they both escort the agent to the Imperial Prison.

I notice the crowd acting as our audience and take a bow myself. There are many smiling and chuckling faces, with a few too bust laughing at the agent's predicament/incompetence.

"What in the world was that all about?" a feminine voice asks from behind me.

_Ah, there's my lunch!_

I turned around and found Renault, bedecked in a modified leather cuirass, a plain brown long skirt, leather boots, and iron gauntlets. She had an Akaviri Katana at her side.

In her hands were our lunch of grapes, mutton, and two mugs of mead. She looked quite amused at the previous scene. "Oh, just another idiot from the cult of stupidity," I answer,

She rolls her eyes and hands me my half of lunch, as well as my change. She's really poor, considering her position as Captain of the Blades, let alone a Captain of the late Emperor's personal guard. "I swear, you must be a very large threat, considering the agents being set after you. The ones we fought off in the Sanctum were much more skilled."

I glance at her pointedly. "No offense," she quickly adds. "They must be underestimating you is all."

I nod in acceptance as she falls quiet to finish her meal. It's funny seeing her sitting there next to me. Here we are in the Imperial City, eating lunch; a woman that was supposed to die and a guy that wasn't supposed to exist. It makes me think about how we got here.

* * *

><p><strong>Flashback - 'attempted rape'<strong>

"…high treason?"

She leapt up from the bed and paced the available space of the small room; her form hunched over and her eyes watery, yet analytic. She was muttering under her breath, probably trying to figure out what I could possibly be if I was being truthful about my position. I heard a few muttered possibilities, like 'personal assassin', 'shadow grandmaster', and 'secret Blade'. A few others were way off the mark, like 'rumored hidden son from secret affair' and 'Nerevarine'.

The different ones she came up with made me chuckle which turned her attention back to me. Her mouth formed a shaky query.

"Are you going to kill me?" she whispered fearfully. I was shocked at the question; did she really think she was 'in that deep?'

"Of course not!" I exclaim. "You haven't learned anything that really matters. Besides, the Emperor told me that I could tell only a select few about the coming crisis. I'll need a team to save this country from the 'coming of a new dawn'." She visibly relaxes and asked a relieved question.

"Am I going to be part of this team?" she asked hopefully. I give an uncertain shrug and say that only time will tell.

**End of Flashback**

* * *

><p>I'm awakened from my musings as Renault nudges me. We're finished with our meal; I had eaten my food during my 'flashback'. I had no idea that you'll actually 'flashback' to a memory. Must be a side effect of magickachakra/manipulatible energy…

Anyways, we made our way out of the Market District and out of the City to the Waterfront. We were making a stop at my newly acquired shack. Renault asked why had purchased such a 'deplorable abode'; her words, not mine. I merely replied that the Emperor didn't supply me with outrageous amounts of septims or decadent homes. I needed to hide more deeply than even a member of the Dark Brotherhood. I was required to be the shadow of a nameless nobody. My existence was so beyond secretive, that I had no official title.

Her incredulity was very apparent when I told her during the beginning of the present three weeks. I remember our previous conversation…

* * *

><p><strong>Another Flashback<strong>

"I'm not joking, if that's what you're thinking," I said bluntly. She dropped her expression and switched to a more attentive one, expecting a more thorough explanation. I sighed and made a quick surreptitious glance to make a show of checking my surroundings. Given our current presence on the Red Road near Weye, I supposed that it'd be safe to give a plausible story.

"I'm not given an official title if for plausible deniability," at her confused face I explained further. "It means that I'm not an acknowledged member of the Empire and my actions aren't part of the Empire's will. If I do something in, let's say Morrowind, which could put the Empire in a troubling position if I was caught in the act. But since I'm not an actual or official member of the Empire, the Empire is not responsible for my actions, even if they privately support me."

Renault nodded in understanding and asked for me continue my previous explanation to my position's connection to the late Emperor.

"To the late Emperor Uriel, I was his problem solver, to put it plainly. I made his Will possible, despite the obstacles in his path. One example of my work is the recent law that was vetoed in the Council's last session, a month prior to the Assassinations. If you remember, the Emperor was trying to stop a taxed slavery law from being passed; the same law was put forward every year since the Abolition of Slavery prior."

"What was so important about this time?" Renault asked.

"It would have been passed during the next session, despite the Emperor's protests. It had too much support behind it, thanks to a few well placed bribes and several incriminating skeletons threatened to be aired. Before you say that the Emperor is absolute, you have to remember that Uriel was just one man and Ocato was helpless at the time."

Renault was saddened by my revelation, which was actually quite accurate.

"The Emperor knew this and called upon me to make sure this law wouldn't be put forth again, regardless of who was behind it. I succeeded the day before my imprisonment and our first meeting."

"Then why were you in prison that day? What were you accused of?"

"I was caught in that act of assassinating Uriel's (_legitmate_) sons, Geldell, Enman and Ebel." Renault gasped and made to unsheathe her Katana. I quickly knocked hand away and tackled her to ground; we rolled off the path and down near the water. "Let me finish!"

She huffed and struggled against me as I pinned her to the ground. She was facedown; I had her right arm pinned behind her, her face pinned in the sand. She let out the most interesting curses, making several disgusting accusations about my mother's promiscuity and my father's species.

"Will you let me explain, woman! The two were behind the blackmail and the bribes!" Her struggles ceased and she stilled. A few muffled words were said, but I couldn't understand. I assumed she was asking to be let up and I acquiesced.

Once she was up and calm, I continued. "The two were behind the whole thing. They had a few slave markets in Morrowind, Elseweyr, and even a few slavers in the Black Marsh. So I went to the Emperor with my findings; he was so distraught at his sons' crimes, he tearfully gave me the assassination order. I carried out the assassinations and was caught by Ebel's secret consort on the way out. She notified the guards who shoved me in that cell to await execution. The Emperor was notified by a hidden note and cleared me of my crimes. I was awaiting my release when you came to my cell with the Emperor."

Her eyes widened as if suddenly realizing something. "That's why he knew his sons were dead. You killed them…" She trailed off. I nodded and got up, holding out a helping hand. She took hold and we made our way up the hill and continued silently to Anvil.

"So, do you understand what I do?" She nodded and smiled sadly.

"You're the Emperor's trusted assassin…"

"Not trusted, just necessary. Uriel hated me a lot. I was just needed to keep him in power and the Empire safe. He liked my predecessor better."

"Who was it?" Renault asked. I smiled and said one word which granted me that creepy feeling once more.

"Nerevar…" I could feel the strands of divine magicka once again making my existence a true part of Nirn.

**End Flashback**

* * *

><p>So here we were, taking a few minutes to hide a few things in my shack. I managed to make a hidden compartment under one of the stones near the fireplace. Inside was a key to a door in my basement. It's weird, the house in the game had no basement you could get in, but here I have a small, dingy basement with a trapdoor hidden under a rug and chair.<p>

Taking the key, I motioned for Renault to follow me down the basement and into the trapdoor. Lighting a few torches and gestured around the room. "This is my armory/treasury. Make yourself at home, but don't touch anything in the chest covered in chains. You'll regret for a couple of minutes, and then enjoy it too much to care."

I left Renault at that and stored a portion of my profit in a safe, which itself held a portion of my accumulated wealth. So far, I had a total of 235,000 septims in all my hiding places. This safe only had 35,000 in it. It's surprising how easily I can make money here. Adventuring is really profitable as long as you're careful and have a few tricks up your sleeves.

Regular bandits and marauders were easy targets, regardless of where they made camp. The forest, caves, or ruins; it didn't really matter. The leaders were the hard targets. They were always former soldiers or guard captains that weren't satisfied with their positions. They were a lot smarter and aware than their followers. They could actually catch sight of me as I sneaked around their hideouts. They're mostly better equipped and had access to most of the loot they acquire. I got a lot of gold on my last raid on a nearby bandit cave. I tend to knock the guys out with a really good Damage Fatigue spell called Dire Enervation which I can only cast twice before having to down a Restore Magicka potion. And it's not instantaneous like the game; it takes a minute or so to get back to full strength with the potion and can take up to two days to let it happen naturally. And casting spells isn't like the game, Oblivion. It's a lot like Morrowind was; you know, where you have a chance of actually casting a Master level spell at Apprentice level.

Another useful tidbit I learned is that a poisoned weapon will stay poisoned for a while until the poison is used up, especially if I use a dagger and carefully nick a small cut. This gets the poison into their systems slowly so they don't notice at first.

All these little facts add up to me being a pretty badass assassin/thief. With Altair's hidden blade combined with a 2 second Paralyze on Target spell, I can take down any minor bandit/marauder in a second, literally! With the leaders and mages, I have a really hard time. The leaders can block or dodge me while the mages will either block or resist the Paralyze Target and throw a spell back.

I usually end up coming back to the shack a bit worn out or beat up after running into them. Renault knows what I do and has offered to accompany me every time I head out but I always turn her down. Wouldn't be good if she got killed after all the trouble I went through to keep her alive before. The frequent rejections were pissing her off, so I came up with an apology which I would implement tonight.

Back to us being in a hidden room in my basement, I finished stocking up on throwing knives (which were absent in the game), a few bottles of various poisons, and a dozen iron arrows. Turns out that every type of arrow above silver is really rare or expensive if you don't have connections with the right people…

Anyways, Renault had made a few adjustments to her modified leather cuirass. It was a good deal more form-fitting than the vanilla (ordinary) version of the cuirass. It gave her a more hourglass-like figure and emphasized her bust. Not too much emphasis mind you, she was a bit more modest than most of the women out there. Some of the stuff they wore was similar to what women wore in our world when they go out. Back to Renault, the cuirass's arms were removed to give her freedom of movement and added extra padding to her shoulders to compensate for the lack of armor. She discarded her long brown skirt for a shorter, green one that stopped short of her calves. And on my suggestion, she traded her Katana for a Fine Steel Longsword. That stupid Katana, while very good, practically broadcasts that you're a Blade to everyone.

So anyways, after making sure I had 2000 septims with me for emergency purchases, Renault and I left my shack and headed over to the Floated Boat for her apology dinner from me.

An hour later, she and I were laughing at one of her training memories. She was quite fun to be around. Funny, I don't remember the room being this fuzzy… Also for some odd, yet very welcome reason, Renault was getting a lot hotter than she was before….

Why's she leaning forward? Oh she grabbing me and dragging me somewhere…

_Ooh, pretty fire…_

* * *

><p><em>And that's Chapter 5, read, review, and possibly request where I could end up before the opening of the gates begins…<em>


	7. Chapter 6

_Hello everyone! I'm glad that you're reading my story! For those that read my other stories, I'm sorry to say that those will still be on hold until September…_

_Anyways, here's Chapter 6 of Becoming a Hero…_

_P.S. I changed the Category to Martin S. and Captain Renault_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Becoming a Hero<strong>_

An hour later, she and I were laughing at one of her training memories. She was quite fun to be around. Funny, I don't remember the room being this fuzzy… Also for some odd, yet very welcome reason, Renault was getting a lot hotter than she was before….

Why's she leaning forward? Oh she grabbed me and is dragging me somewhere…

_Ooh, pretty fire…_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

* * *

><p>Oww…<p>

Oww…

Oww…

My head was killing me…

Never again…

I…will…never…get…drunk…again… The pain ain't worth the taste of the ale it came from. I can barely move now; all the swaying is strange. Oh, it's just the ship rocking… WAIT!

I bolt upright from the bed and the pounding headache became a warhammer to my skull. I grasped my head in my hands and blearily opened my eyes back up. I was in the guestroom at the Floated Bloat. Funny, though… I don't remember the view being that clear. Usually you could see the entrance to the City out this window…

Oh, it's that quest. What was it called, 'the Golden Galleon'? Well, at least I'll get a cool sword from this. I move to get out of bed when a slender arm drags me back down.

"Too cold…warm…stay…." A female voice mumbles to me in a distinct Breton accent. I slowly turn my head to my left and see Renault in all her naked glory. Well, her upper back and head at least. She snuggled into me and I blushed at the feel of her breasts against my shoulder. I got laid…

I had sex with Renault…

_She's gonna kill me…_

I tried to sneak slowly out of bed but she gripped me harder, mumbling about castrating me if I got up. As unpleasant as that sounded and how wonderful it is to lay here, there's a marauder right outside with a very sharp sword. Not to mention the fact that we're naked and my weapons are on the other side of the room. But to my immense luck, one of my throwing daggers is stabbed into the bed post to my right. Strangely, another knife is stabbed in a similar position on the other post…strange…

Crap, the guy is heading to the door; he must have heard us. I grab the knife and carefully take aim at the upper portion of the door. If I'm really lucky, I'll hit him in the forehead. If I ain't, well at least I got laid…

…_creeeaak…_

The door slowly edges open, the back towards the bed. I freeze, ready to throw the knife the second I spot his head. I instantly throw the knife and it nails him in the head; his forehead is pierced by the blade. Renault bolts up at the sound of the Nord hitting the floor.

"What the bloody hell!" she screamed as she turns to me angrily, gesturing at the corpse wildly. I make to answer her, but I'm distracted by a very pleasing site. She looks at me confused and follows my gaze. She gasps, slaps my cheek, pulls the covers up, but tosses them back down when she realizes I'm naked as well.

"Ow." I said plainly as I ogled her re-exposed bust. She growls and covers herself again, this time with a smaller portion of the small blanket. It leaves just enough for us both to be relatively decent.

"Why did you kill him?" She asks angrily, her face flushed and embarrassed. "And why are we naked?" I chuckle and look at her with a satisfied smirk.

"Well, he's a bandit and we're naked because we had sex; gloriously satisfying sex if my aching pelvis is any indication." Her mouth falls slightly agape as she connects the dots. She gazes around the trashed room, taking in the scattered clothes, weapons, and toppled chair; conveniently ignoring the dead Nord. She pales at first, but her blush returns and spreads.

_I wonder how far it goes…_

"Well, umm…" she sputters and fidgets. "Let me just say that this is not like me at all. I'm not that kind of woman." She must really be embarrassed if she's forgotten that I just killed someone in apparent cold-blood. "I'm really sorry if this was completely unwelcome." She fidgets a bit more, rubbing her thighs together; looks like I was really thorough…

"Relax Renault," I say as I get up and get dressed. She stares at me blankly until I chuckle in satisfaction. I must look pretty good if her stare is any indication. "It wasn't unwelcome, just really out-of-the-blue." I get my white assassin robe on and buckle all the accessories in place. "It was really, really great now that I can remember more of it." Renault's face goes redder, if that's possible. She probably remembers last night as well.

"Well then," she huffs, face red. "Take that Nord out of here while I get dressed." She sounded so imperiously embarrassed that I just followed her orders with a shit-eating grin.

I searched his body out in the hall for anything useful. The note was the same as the game, only really stained. It was probably soaked in mead. I pulled off his armor with the Blackwater Bandit insignia on it and shoved it in my Bag of Holding. That thing was really rare; only four others in existence. I find a key in the Nord's pocket and remember the Orc Bouncer in the storage room.

After letting him out and getting useless info off of him, I turn to find Renault fully dressed but red as ever. "Calm down Renault," I said. "What happened was a pleasant surprise but it wasn't something that was completely regrettable was it?" Renault just sighs and smiles at me shyly.

_Great, Renault is gonna be like this for forever…_

I quickly tell her the situation and she agrees with my plan. We're gonna follow the basic layout of the game-quest and get rid of these guys. Well, that's what we agreed on. The second we walked up to the bar area, the Dark Elf woman, Minx, attacked us. Renault took her out with a swing of her silver sword, which was really cool. I make to complement her, but she's studiously ignoring me. She's really still embarrassed?

Anyways, we head up to the deck and get the drop on that Nord, Wrath. Lynch and Minx only had iron longswords, but Wrath had a frickin' Dwarven Claymore! I grab it gleefully while Renault rolls her eyes at my antics. With the key to the Captain's Room in hand and the bouncer at the helm, we get ready to take out Selene, the bandit leader.

Renault and I stood outside the door. I readied my bow and took aim at the area I expected her to be. Renault had her sword in hand and quickly threw the door open. I loosed my arrow at the surprised Selene and got her in the shoulder. Renault followed through with a powerful stab and Selene was dead. Ormil thanked us profusely, shoving a hundred septims in our hands.

We all walked into the bar area and heard Graman gro-Marad (Ormil told us his name) bellow that we would pull into port in an hour. Ormil set up a quick meal for us as another sign of gratitude.

* * *

><p>Renault was ignoring me…<p>

She's been doing it since yesterday when we saved Ormil and his Inn. I've been trying to get her to talk about what happened the night before, but she refuses to even look at me…

But as to where we are, we're on our way to Kvatch. We recently received word from Jauffre that Martin was found in the city of Kvatch, living as a priest of Akatosh. I knew he was gonna be there but I couldn't have just gone there by myself. It would have been too suspicious and Jauffre still didn't trust me. He probably made me wait the whole month while he searched for information on me. He wasn't likely to find anything unless my weird theory that I was being anchored into this world by every story I told. Apparently, Jauffre learned that I was a secret agent of the late Emperor from a letter that was delivered to him by a Blade agent that was stationed in the palace as a servant.

In the letter, Uriel told Jauffre of my position as a 'freelance agent in His personal service'. I thought that was utter bull until I read the very letter, which was attached (along with several other sheaves of parchment) to the missive Jauffre sent. It was dated the day of the assassinations. On the other sheaves were my 'orders' to investigate the Council and 'writs of assassination' for his three sons. The magic of this world must have created these in order to solidify my existence in this Realm…

When Renault read the missive and the accompanying messages, she paled and sputtered incoherently. She hadn't actually believed my story! Well, I did lie but now that it was true I felt really insulted…

And somehow, Jauffre knew Renault was with me and had given written orders to assist me in escorting Martin from Kvatch to Weynon Priory. He further ordered that any order I gave her must be followed as if he ordered it; but only as long as my orders didn't conflict with any of his future orders.

"Geez Renault," I suddenly shouted as I tackled her to the ground. "Watch where you're going!" She was almost killed by an arrow. I got up and spotted the archer and his fellow bandits on a large log.

"Drop all your weapons, gold, and anything of value on the ground and we might let you live!" The archer, a filthy-looking Imperial shouted at us. He had another arrow aimed at us while his followers, a Breton wearing green robes and a Nord clad in a Fur Cuirass and green pants stalked toward us. The Breton had an Iron Mace out, while the Nord had an Iron Shield and a wooden Club.

Renault got up and whispered that we would talk later. We unsheathed our swords, her Silver Longsword and my Blackwater Blade, and charged the bandits. The Breton and Nord fell quickly to our blades. The Imperial, seeing his followers' dead dropped his bow and ran off. Renault searched the dead for anything valuable while I grabbed the bow.

The bow was a surprising find. It was a Steel Bow with a hefty Damage Fatigue enchantment. If this was the game, I'd believe it was a 95 point Damage Fatigue.

Anyways, Renault found a map in the Breton's robes. On it were several X's and lines that traversed the Jerral Mountains. I compared it to my mental game map. It was possible that these X's were the different bandit camps in the Jerral's. The lines were probably hidden paths up the peaks. I told Renault of my theory and she agreed. She stowed it away until we met a Imperial patrol to have it delivered to the Bruma Watch.

* * *

><p>These bastards just kept coming!<p>

The Daedric Gate outside Kvatch was nothing like the game. There were bodies everywhere, fires lit up the landscape, and the daedra came out in packs. Renault and I had rushed up here to help the guards take back Kvatch but we're overwhelmed by the sheer number of the bastards. One thing I'm grateful for is the two battalions (12 men each) of the Imperial Legion, the 6 Mages, and the 8 members of the Fighter's Guild helping us out; otherwise, it'd be me, Renault, and 7 tired Kvatch Watch guardsmen fighting this endless horde of daedra.

The daedra never got to close in large numbers. The mages and archers took out a good portion of them until they reached the defensive line we formed. I knew that we couldn't keep this up, so Renault and I pulled back to the command tent down the hill.

Inside were Cpt. Matius of the Town Guard, Cpt. Garrus of the Legion, and the man who hired the mages and fighters, Francois Mendeux.

"We can't keep this up," I told the group. "We need to close that gate or we'll be overwhelmed by tomorrow." The men in the tent looked tired and defeated while Renault stood by my side bravely.

"Well, what do you propose Arthur?" Savlian asked me. "We sent two teams in there already and they've yet to return!" Garrus and Francois nodded sadly, agreeing with Savlian's sentiments.

"I'll go!" I shouted. I was tired and sick of seeing these good men and women killed. I knew that Oblivion wouldn't be anything like the game, but I had to try. I was the chosen hero after all! The three looked at each other and agreed with my decision. They knew it was seemingly hopeless, doubting I would make a difference. So we made a plan to get me in. The archers and mages would temporarily focus their fire at the center of the path, clearing enough of the daedra for me to charge through on a borrowed horse.

They sent a runner up with the orders while Renault dragged me away from the tents. When we were a good ways away, she suddenly hugged me tightly and started crying. This really wasn't like her. I tried to calm her down and assured her that the plan would work.

"That's what I'm afraid of, you bloody fool!" she bawled out. I was shocked by the sheer worry she was feeling, but put it off as worry for a comrade. I tried to speak but she told me to shut up. This continued for a while until her sobs subsided and deep steady breathes could be heard. She must have been exhausted. I picked her up and carried her to the tent she and I shared at the edge of camp. I set her in her bedroll and switched my bloody and torn leather armor for my pristine assassin's robes.

I geared up with the Damage Fatigue bow, a fresh quiver of Iron arrows, and tied _Anduril_ to my belt. I left the camp astride the white horse Savlian gave me and trotted up the hill. Seeing me in me robes, Savlian gave a shout and the plan was on.

_See you later Renault…_

* * *

><p><em>And there's chapter 6, a little shorter than the last one.<em>

_Remenber the three R's:_

_Read_

_Review_

_And possibly Request_


	8. Chapter 7

_Once again, I've returned to the realm of fantasy to the land of Tamriel. In this chapter, you'll find me actually making Altair proud as I utilize all my skill to mimic his incredible skill in the art of killing._

_Disclaimer: Oblivion ain't mine and the mods featured here are the property of their creators._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Becoming a Hero<strong>_

I geared up with the Damage Fatigue bow, a fresh quiver of Iron arrows, and tied _Anduril_ to my belt. I left the camp astride the white horse Savlian gave me and trotted up the hill. Seeing me in me robes, Savlian gave a shout and the plan was on.

_See you later Renault…_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

* * *

><p>Arrows and spell-fire whistled and whizzed ahead of me as I made a desperate charge to the Gate. I clumsily directed the galloping stallion through the thinning crowd of daedra, occasionally trampeling a Scamp or bowling over a few Clanfear. I luckily managed to dodge the strikes of a few Dremora, when to my immense shock, the horse jerked and toppled forward. I was hurled to the ground some distance beyond the now dead horse.<p>

Slightly dazed, I got up and instinctively dodged the slash of an Ebony Claymore. Only one type of daedra wields those…

I spun around and beheld a roaring Xivilai. He swung the claymore repeatedly, almost taking my head or arms several times. I quickly unsheathed _Anduril_ and parried the next few slashes.

_Crap! ...oww… Shit! …oww…_

The daedra around us formed a rough circle, taunting me and hurling the occasional spell. I ducked, dodged, parried, and weaved around the Xivilai's attacks and the thrown spells. The deadly dance was really pissing off the big daedra. He bellowed loudly and gave a massive swing, putting an incredible amount of power behind it. I couldn't hope to parry, let alone block, it.

As the sword arched across my chest, I quickly leaned back as much as I could and barely dodge the blade. As I swung myself upright, the Xivilai drop-kicked me to the ground. He stood over me smugly and held his sword high, point down. He thrust it down powerfully as I rolled to the side and threw the only Destruction spell I knew would work at him.

The Greater Fireball crashed against his face, forcing him to drop his blade as the crowd of daedra roared in anger. I leapt to my feet and jumped at the daedra, my boots planted firmly on his chest. As he stumbled back, I raised an iron dagger and slit his neck and hopped off him in a smooth sequence. I hit the ground and fired two Greater Fireballs at him in quick succession, roasting his flesh and ending his life.

I then ran toward the Gate, _Anduril_ retrieved from the ground. I weaved through the crowd of attacking daedra, occasionally killing the few that were unavoidable. I threw myself into the currently clear Gate and launched one final Greater Fireball behind me.

* * *

><p><em>It's hot…<em>

Oblivion is looks a lot like I envisioned the first layer of Hell would be. Scorched earth, small streams of lava and blood every few feet, and great ruined buildings in every direction. And to my immense displeasure, the area I was in looked nothing like the one in the game. There was no ruined bridge or path to the left. It was a courtyard with burnt trees and a tower looming overhead. Up on the top of the tower, I could make out the pillar of fire that was supposed to come from the Sigil Stone. Shrugging, I jogged across the courtyard to the tower door.

Sadly, it wasn't that easy. When I touched the door, a wall of fire erupted between the door and I; almost burned my hand off. Behind me in the courtyard, a Dremora and a pack of Scamps (5 or less) erupted from the ground. They were probably hidden under a small layer of the scorched dirt.

The Dremora pointed his mace at me and made the universal gesture for 'you're dead' (he ran his thumb across his neck while sneering at me). The Scamps screeched as they charged at me, flinging small Fireballs at me.

I unsheathed _Anduril _again and practically slaughtered the little bastards. Two decapitations and 3 bisections later, it was just me and the Dremora. He gave another sneer and said something in the rough, guttural language of Oblivion. I was sure it was something very insulting.

We charged at each other, weapons ready to go for the kill. In a completely badass maneuver, I twisted under the Dremora's swung mace and bisected him right in the space between his greaves and his cuirass. The look on his frozen face was a mixture of shock and anger. He was still ugly though.

With the Dremora's death, the 'firewall' dissipated and I was free to enter. The door led down a set of stairs and into a dimly lit corridor. I followed the hall, sneaking around and peering around each corner. After several twists and turn I came to one infuriating conclusion: The tower did NOT have a pit of fire that held a pillar of fire surrounded by a winding staircase. I was in a maze.

I so didn't have time for this! There were people dying outside that Gate and I'm stuck in a maze. I had forgone any modicum of stealth and ran pell-mell through the maze and, too my immense relief, the center of the maze. There was a daedric teleportation pad, similar to the one in the game, only more sinister looking.

I unsheathed _Anduril_once more and hopped onto the pad. Nothing happened at first until I sent a spark of magicka through my feet. The teleport pad lit up and sent me into a new, more familiar corridor. The corridor led to a rising path that curved similarly to the ones in the game. Smiling in relief, I carefully made my way up the hall, watching for any hidden enemies or traps. At the top of the corridor was a square room. It had three curved benches set in a circle between four spiked stone pillars. The spaces between the pillars and the adjacent walls were trapped with retracting spear-like spikes. And in the very center of the room was a Xivilai with its back to me. He was sitting down on a bench, munching on a large (to me) shank of meat. I crept closer, pulling out another Iron dagger; my previous one stuck in the neck of a Dremora outside the Gate. I crept stealthily until I was right behind him and found out what it was eating. There were a pile of corpses dressed in Legion and Kvatch uniforms.

_The bastard ate them!_

Thoroughly disgusted and majorly pissed, I reared back and plunged the dagger into the base of the Xivilai's skull; killing it instantly. The daedra slumped forward and I slumped to my knees and threw up. The smell of the corpses had gotten too much for me. Wiping my face, I got up and checked the Xivilai. It had fallen onto the 'pile', spreading its purple blood over the dead men. Growling, I yanked it off of the 'pile' and shoved it into one of the traps. The spears activated and pierced the body, dragging it with them as they retracted. Turning back to the 'pile', I found the bodies of two men the Captains' had asked me to find. They were the leaders of the two groups. Reaching tentatively into the mound of corpses, I pulled out the Legion Captain's broken helm and the Kvatch Guard's somewhat whole shield.

The helm was caved in on the upper left side, a long, jagged cut in it; probably from a Dremora's longsword or the Xivilai's Daedric Battleaxe. The shield was in good condition, only a few mild pock-marks in it from arrows. To my surprise, there was a mild enchantment on it; a Detect Life to be precise.

Storing the broken helm in my Bag, I fitted the shield to my left arm and was rewarded with the hazy outline of a small daedra just on the other side of a door across the room. I smirked victoriously. This would be a great asset for this mission. I walked silently to the door and slightly nudged the two door panels apart. I peered through the slight space and saw that the scamp had its back to the door. I checked the hallway beyond and it seemed deserted. I pulled out yet another iron dagger from my Bag, readying for a stealth kill.

I slowly pushed the door, the sound being muffled by the Scamp's obnoxiously loud breathing. I smiled evilly; this would be a piece of cake. Raising the dagger up, I grabbed the scamp around the mouth, silencing it. I pulled it back and stabbed it in the chin, dagger pointing upwards. The scamp didn't even have time to jerk before it died. The dead daedra crumpled to the ground and I stepped over its corpse.

_The rest of this should be a lot harder…_

* * *

><p>The rest,sadly, was just as easy, except for a few fights with the rare, alert Dremora and the Xivilai. I had silently taken out the majority of the other daedra, as well as a great lumbering Daedroth with the hidden blade on my wrist. After a hectic run-in with a few very well hidden traps, I had come to the last room of the tower, <em>Sigillum Sanguis<em>. The room was vaguely similar to the game's version, only much more gruesome. The flooring was actually flesh and bone, blood trickling and pooling in certain areas. The bone-framing was cracked and had pieces of meat still hanging off of them.

This really gross… I went up and came to the one thing that was mysteriously absent throughout this entire endeavor; a blood fountain. I inspected it and it turned out that it wasn't blood at all. It seemed to be liquid healing magicka. I ran my sore hands through the liquid and my whole body felt refreshed.

I felt giddy but when I removed my hands, but suddenly felt hundreds of painful spikes entering my body. I collapsed to the ground, quietly groaning in pain. I opened my eyes and felt to see if there were any wounds. My eyes followed my movements and found that it was the result of a very sick illusionary assault. I sat up and braced myself against the now empty fountain, covertly checking my surroundings.

There were no enemies, luckily. I got up shakily to my feet and patted myself down once more. The stabs had felt real. Shaking my head, I went over to the archway that led to the rest of the _Sigillum Sanguis_. I beheld the pillar of flame and saw the Sigil Stone floating up above a spiked ring suspended by large chains. There were only three Dremora that I could see; probably had a few more hiding. Checking around the room quickly, I knew that there were no handholds to the second floor or hiding places near the Dremora. Looks like I'm actually gonna have to fight out in the open.

I readied my DF Steel Bow and adjusted the Kvatch Guard Shield on my left arm to allow me to fire safely. Readying five arrows, I nocked one and fired at one of the dremora. He (?) went down with a thud as I nocked another arrow. Another dremora went to check his comrade and I took him out just as easily.

A loud bellow echoed around the chamber and four more dremora came running down the charred bone steps to the level I was on. I quickly nocked and fired two arrows, taking out the two leading daedra at once. A thump sounded to my right, signaling that the bellowing dremora had hopped off the ledge above me. He swung a Daedric War Axe at me and I tried blocking with the shield. The blow knocked me on my ass and my bow was shattered by a second strike from the dremora. The other two dremora reached the fight just as I rolled back to my feet and unsheathed two hidden iron daggers from my boots.

Taking a defensive stance similar to Altair's, I weaved and parried around the oncoming strikes, slashing at the daedra that had overextended themselves; I was only doing minimal thanks to their heavy armor. The one that shattered my bow went down with a quick slice to the right kidney then a stab to the left eye. The two decided to develop brains, to my great dismay. One summoned a shield to go along with his longsword and the other traded his for a bow and a small quiver of arrows.

They both readied themselves and I knew I was gonna be screwed unless I thought up a good plan. Luckily, I had been smart with the minor wounds I had inflicted. The archer dremora's aim was off thanks to a shallow cut I gave him above his right eye. The dremora with the shield was having trouble with his right leg because of a rend in the chainmail. Sadly, I could hear several more daedra coming from the corridor behind me.

I came up with an easy solution. I fired several regular Fireballs at them, completely taking them by surprise. As they were recovering, I sprinted past them up the bone-stairs and up the flesh-ramp. Their reinforcements had just entered the chamber when I dived forward and snatched the Sigil Stone.

Hanging from a spike on the metal ring, I witnessed the chamber erupt in flames. The flire didn't harm me, thanks to the Sigil Stone, but the daedra below were burned alive. The flames became so intensely bright that my vision was filled with white light.

When I opened my eyes, I was back in Cyrodiil lying on the ground and curled protectively around the Stone. I got up and saw Renault charging at me with murder in her eyes, screaming several profanities and death threats.

_I guess she had something important to say before…_

* * *

><p><em>That's chapter 7! What did ya think?<em>

_Tell me in a nice sparkly review!_


	9. Chapter 8

_Hey Everybody! I recently picked up Dragon Age: Origins as a gift/debt appeasement from a friend. It's really good so far and some of the elements of the game might accidentally carry over._

_And here is some extra stuff from the reviews I got:_

"_Good example of a fun self insert. The only thing not realistic (from the already unrealistic dimensional travel, which I wish was possible) is simple things like the DnD Bag of holding and maybe a bit on the assassin status (although anyone can do worst then Assassins Creed)" __- TenshiReike_

_Dude, I was purposefully making certain aspects of my being there unrealistic. I gave myself some minor advantages so I wouldn't get killed like a lame-ass during my first fight with a giant rat of all things._

_Here are some reasonable explanations for my use of said items/status:_

_-Bag of Holding:_

_It's used to compensate for the sheer lack of anything to hold my loot in the original game. I never understood why Bethesda gave no item to hold our crap other than the 'static' containers. I thought actually having to ditch some good loot due to lack of space would have been lame. Also, there are some really important quest related stuff that are too frickin small, thus easily misplaced. One more thing, certain future items will __not__ be held in my Bag for plot reasons._

_-Assassin Status:_

_It's mainly a plot device as well as a key feature of my fic. I used a lot of mods and made a lot myself to alter the assassin 'lifestyle' in my game. I made that 'way of life' as similar to how an actual assassin would have lived. The lifestyle my story character is gonna soon lead is gonna be more apparent in the next few chapters._

_Anyways, here's the next chapter of…_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Becoming a Hero<strong>_

When I opened my eyes, I was back in Cyrodiil lying on the ground and curled protectively around the Stone. I got up and saw Renault charging at me with murder in her eyes, screaming several profanities and death threats.

_I guess she had something important to say before…_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Ow…<em>

I sat in the barricaded cathedral of Kvatch, nursing a very painful black-eye. Renault had nailed me with a fist encased in chainmail gauntlets; knocked me out for a good hour while the soldiers and guards went to clear out the daedra in Kvatch. I had woken up near the altar to Arkay in a shadowed part of the cathedral. The captains' in charge had filled me in on the situation they were currently facing. They'd cleared out most of the city, with the exception of the sewers, storerooms, and the castle, of daedra. Matius was hoping that I would lead a small team through a heavily guarded, not to mention secret, passageway to the gatehouse. He was currently showing me the route on a small tattered map; the layout was nothing like the game. The route was entirely underground, using a mixture of the sewers, several basements, and a heavily trapped catacomb under the city.

"So," Matius said, rolling up the map. "Can you do it?" I was about to respond when Renault came up to us carrying a tray of food and a pitcher of wine.

"Not yet he won't," she interrupted. Turning to me, she said, "There's something important that I have to tell you and it can't wait a moment longer." Nodding to Matius, she gestured forcefully for me to follow. I shrugged at him and went after her.

We ended up in the bedchambers of the cathedral. Renault was pacing the length of the room while I sat semi-patiently for her to tell me what was on her mind. After a few minutes of awkward silence, she sat down and spoke.

"Remember that night a week ago on the Bloated Float," she whispered. I started to smile lecherously at the memory but quickly switched to a more neutral expression at the glare Renault sent me.

"Of course"

"Well, there was a very interesting…consequence to that night…" she muttered, once again facing away from me. I was really weirded out by her behavior.

"Consequence?" I asked, silently prodding her for further explanation. She blushed deeply and gestured at her stomach a few times. I sent a confused look at her and she mimed a rocking motion with her arms. I must have shown even greater confusion because she sighed, clearly frustrated.

"Have you ever craved the pitter-patter of little feet?" she asked in a low voice. She was trying to send a message I was clearly not getting. I cocked my head to the side and asked,

"Pitter-patter?" She got up and screamed at my incomprehension, gripping her hair tightly. She turned back to me, once again glaring murderously. Sitting down on the bed facing me, she gripped my collar and pulled me close; our faces were inches apart.

"I…Am…Preg…Nant…" she growled angrily. I nodded in understanding when I realized what she said. I paled dramatically and looked up at her with very fearful eyes.

"P-p-preg-g-gnant?" She nodded. I gestured at her stomach and made rocking motions with my arms. She nodded again. I got up and paced the room a few times, stopping every third pace and turned back to her for confirmation; she nodded each time. After a few more moments, I stopped and asked, "I'm gonna be a dad?" She smiled a bit and nodded, thinking I had come to terms with it; I hadn't.

I returned her tentative smile with a shaky one. Then I did something very embarrassing…

_I dropped in a dead faint…_

* * *

><p>For the second time that day, I woke up with a headache. This time however, I woke up on a very soft mattress and was nursed by a pretty woman. Alas, when the third occupant of the room noticed my awakening, he immediately ran to inform Matius of my revival. Said captain came bursting into the room, demanding I get up and save Kvatch. Renault was at my side (wanting to continue our prior 'conversation'), but the second I was out of the bed, Matius dragged me out of the bedchamber and to the team he had prepared. Up in the main chamber sat a small group of 4 men and a single woman.<p>

The first two were Imperial Legion Foresters. Both were dressed in relatively stealthy gear: both wore darkened chainmail, muffled with cloth under and over. They each had a Silver Bow and quiver of Silver arrows with a Silver Shortsword at the hip. Both were Imperials, one a good foot taller than the other. The tall one was Lumerus and the shorter one was Sius.

The next man was a Dunmer mage named Sulus; didn't give a first name. He wore a blue robe with customized with genuine Redoran pauldrons. He had a very arrogant demeanor and was smirking at me. Probably saw my black-eye; if anyone asked, I got it when cornered by 3 Xivilai and a dozen Clanfear. Sulus was armed with a Mage's Staff that had a red gem on top, most likely a Fire enchantment.

The last two were a pair of fraternal Argonian twins. The green-scaled male called himself Treads-Softly and the brown-scaled female was Speaks-Softly. They both were armed with the first spears I've seen in Oblivion. Even more surprising is that they were both Silver Spears. Both Argonians were dressed old leather armor and stood the same as the other Argonians more common in Morrowind as well. TS and SS glared at Sulus every so often probably got insulted by the Vvardenfall Dunmer.

"All right, now that your final member is here, we can get this operation under way." Matius stated, glaring at Renault who had followed. She glared back even fiercer and Matius stumbled. The team and I snickered at the scene; Matius righted himself quickly, coughing loudly.

"As I said, now we can begin," he continued. "Arthur, as well as Lumerus knows the route to the castle. You need to get in as quickly and silently as possible to not draw attention to yourselves. You'll run into a few daedra down in the catacombs as well as the numerous traps. You all were handpicked for this mission, especially you Arthur." At that he glared at me, probably annoyed at the interruptions from before. "Anyways, be ready to set out in 5 minutes. The men and I will draw their attention while you sneak through the tunnels under the cathedral. Good luck."

Matius saluted us and headed out the cathedral. The team nodded at each other and turned to me for direction. Renault whispered about speaking later and went to escort the survivors to the refugee camp.

"Ok, here's what we're gonna do: our Legionary comrades will lead, followed by Sulus and myself. Our Argonian comrades will follow at a short distance in case of ambush." Sulus snorted, but consented to the plan. TS and SS agreed with following behind, most likely because Sulus wouldn't be anywhere near them.

We set out, sending a young soldier to give Matius the go ahead. Under the cathedral was deserted, unlike the game. The door of the crypt didn't exit into a courtyard, but lead to a dusty tunnel. The foresters casted a few Night-Eye spells on themselves and headed in. Sulus scoffed and followed without any prep, and I made sure the Kvatch Shield from before was securely strapped to my arm. I felt spells being cast behind me as well; TS and SS were ready. Receiving a go-ahead, Lumerus and Sius pulled out their bows and moved faster; their eyes searching for any wandering or hidden daedra.

The route was relatively clear, with the exception of a guarded part of the sewers. A hulking Daedroth and a few Clanfear were guarding the ladder down to the catacombs. Sulus wanted to send a few area-effect spells but I ordered him to conserve his magicka; we'd need it in the courtyard and castle. He looked ready to argue, but consented after I sent a withering glare back at him. I gestured for the foresters to get ready while I took care of the Daedroth.

Clambering up the slimy sewer wall, I got on a shadowed ledge that led above the group of daedra. I managed to sneak a little behind the group and nodded to the two Imperials hidden in the shadowed sewer tunnel. Two Clanfear fell, alerting the last Clanfear and the Daedroth of their location. The Daedroth roared as the last green daedra ran at the squad.

Unsheathing_ Anduril_, I leapt off the ledge and onto the hulking daedra's back. I held onto the spines as I repeatedly stabbed the Daedroth's neck, only just managing to pierce its tough hide. It went down with a heavy thud as the team walked up to me, alert of any hidden daedra. TS and SS caught up to us and nodded at Lumerus and Sius in respect; the Clanfear never had a chance.

* * *

><p>In the last chamber of the catacombs was a very disturbing sight. The corpses of several people were hanging from the ceiling, roasting over interspersed fires. The daedra were feasting on the burnt flesh in obvious delight. The team was horrified at the sight; Sulus looked ready to hurl. I gestured at the group to quiet down. We needed a plan to take down large group of daedra in the chamber. I sent Lumerus and Sius to opposite sides of the chamber, having them stick to the ledge that went all the way around. TS and SS were sent to the other end, by the exit; ready to skewer any daedra that tried to leave. I told Sulus to ready as many spells as he could that wouldn't hurt the team in the crossfire; he gave a grim nod as his eyes seemed to glow in rage.<p>

I myself hopped into a shadowed corner of the pit and pulled out _Anduril_, ready to slaughter the whole lot of them. Once I saw everyone in position, I tossed an exploding fireball spell at the largest of the daedra, a Xivilai perched on a gruesome throne of flesh and bone. The spell struck true and nailed the bastard right in the face, taking out a few surrounding dremora in the blast. Immediately afterwards, Sulus let loose a whole myriad of spells, varying in color and nature. Arrows rained down from the sides, taking out those that survived the onslaught of magicka; TS, SS, and I provided clean-up, giving the unconscious and/or dying a painful end.

Satisfied with our work, we pressed on, unable to stay and give the dead people a proper burial. We had to hurry and finish the mission. We eventually came to a ladder that led up into the gatehouse. Two dremora were stationed there, but Lumerus and Sius slit their throats before the dremora had a chance to react. TS and SS started raising the gate while Sulus sent a bright Light spell at the tower on the other end of the moat by Matius. With the bridge up and the signal sent, dozens of soldiers and guards swarmed into the castle courtyard, taking the daedra by surprise. The bastards routed quickly and Matius led a battalion into the castle itself.

My team and I followed and found the group under attack by a legion of Scamps and a few Dremora Churls. We hurled ourselves into battle, slaughtering the Scamps left and right; the Churls fell almost as quickly. However, more Scamps and packs of Clanfear began to pour into the chamber from conjoining hallways.

"Damn!" Matius yelled as the soldiers met the oncoming daedra head-on. "There must be a Dremora Lord inside the castle, summoning more of his cursed servants. Search the castle! He's most likely in the upper chambers, guarded by daedra much stronger than this rabble." I nodded and the team followed me, hacking and slashing our way through to the stairwell.

Up and up we climbed, constantly besieged by lesser daedra and the occasional daedroth or Atronach. We were exceptionally lucky that Sulus knew a few really good Restoration spells and that I had the awesome Bag of Holding to carry all my Restore Magicka potions. Our wounds were easily healed, but we were getting tired, despite the numerous Restore Fatigue potions I gave out. It turns out that the potions only give a boost of energy, not ease tired muscles.

Anyways, we eventually made it the sleeping quarters of the castle. But there weren't any of the usual daedra stationed there. The area was guarded by several dremora warriors and they were led by a few Xivilai.

I knew my team was nowhere near strong enough to take these bastards on. I tried frantically to think up a plan when Sulus grabbed my shoulder. "We'll hold them off," he said in a raspy voice. "You need to hurry on ahead and take out that Dremora Lord." I opened my mouth to protest but the other members just nodded sadly in agreement. "We'll be fine. You better hurry up and save everyone Arthur." Sulus said sadly. I jerked my head in agreement, too sad to say anything. I got ready to run when the team leapt out of hiding and took the daedra guards by surprise. That was all the distraction I needed. I hurled myself through the battle, occasionally cutting or stabbing a dremora or Xivilai with a poisoned dagger. I made it out of the mob and into a large bedchamber where a large Dremora stood.

It was huge, standing a good head taller than a Xivilai and garbed in fearsome daedric armor with a burning black cape hanging off its shoulders. It turned to me and smirked arrogantly at my white and blood-splatterd form.

"_**Well,"**_ it said in a guttural voice that echoed throughout the room. _**"What do we have here? A lone hero, ready to slay the...hehe…monster that burned his home to the ground?"**_ I gripped an unsheathed _Anduril_ tightly, watching as the Dremora Lord paced the length of the room. It walked around me, observing me with an amused look. I needed to take the asshole by surprise if I wanted to survive this; his armor was too thick and I could tell that he was an exceptionally skilled warrior.

"_**Nothing to say, 'Hero'?"**_ it mocked. _**"Surely you wish to end this battle, hoping to save what little is left of this wretched city."**_ It turned and gestured grandly at the shattered windows behind it. _**"The one with the Dragon's Blood; he's hiding somewhere in this cesspool, hiding like the coward he is."**_ I could see the city burning and hear the sound of battle and the cries of dying men. The Dremora Lord began to speak again when I lunged at it, swinging _Anduril_ in a wide arc. I must have been exceptionally lucky, because the bastard didn't even have time to scream. I lopped off his head in a single stroke and battles ended all around the city. His body fell to the ground and disintegrated into a pile of dust, leaving behind an enormous daedric warhammer.

I picked it up and saw how intricate its designs were compared to other daedric warhammers. There were stylized depictions of battles on the head while daedric runes ran down the sides of the handle in a long spiral. I heaved I onto my shoulder and checked the corpse of the dead count of Kvatch. He had nothing but the clothes on his back and the Signet Ring of Kvatch. Taking that, I rushed back to check on the others.

* * *

><p>In the large hall lay the team, all seriously injured and ready to succumb to their wounds. I quickly cast <span>Convale<span>scence at each of them and set about healing them with the Major Restore Health and Major Restore Fatigue potions I had from the Bag. I carefully administered the potions as well as bandaging the more serious wounds. Most of the team was easily healed thanks to the wonder of magicka, but despite my efforts, I couldn't save Sulus. He was run through and pinned to the wall with a daedric spear, his staff lay shattered at his feet. I yanked the spear out and made sure to set him down gently; he was breathing very shallowly and his raspy gasps let me know he was beyond help. Unlike the game, not everything could be healed; some things just were too extreme for the magicka to fix.

"Here Sulus," I said, tipping a potion into his mouth. "This'll ease the pain." And it did, his breathing evened out and his eyes lost a lot of their glassiness, but it just took the edge off. He nodded at me in thanks and the rest of the team bowed their heads in sorrow and respect for the solemn dunmer. I knew his time was almost up so I said a prayer to ease him into the next journey.

"May you walk onto a new path, a winding road unto the house of your forefathers… Let the stars guide you on your way and may the light of your ancestors keep you safe… Let Nerevar himself welcome you with open arms, for you died a warrior's death… You died fighting against incredible odds, yet you stood your ground and fell many foes… May the mer of house Redoran honor your sacrifice…"

And with that, Sulus, Battlemage of House Redoran passed on with a proud smile on a face once marred with arrogance and prejudice. I laid his hands on his chest and the team fashioned a stretcher from a tapestry and the Argonians' spears. I picked up the spear that killed him and the gem from his staff, stowing them away and saddened by the loss of a comrade, even if I didn't know him well.

We entered the main hall and saw that Matius had set it up as an infirmary, with mages and healers treating the wounded.

"You have my thanks Arthur," he said once he spotted me. "You saved Kvatch and sent those bastards back to Oblivion!" I nodded sadly and he spotted the others carrying Sulus's body. "Oh, I'm sorry about Sulus. He was a good, if somewhat…proud mer. He'll be honored by the future people of Kvatch forever if I have anything to say about it." I nodded again in thanks; I was just too sad and tired to do much else. I left the hall and the city, making my way passed the bodies of dozens of men and women to the refugee camp.

Renault must have spotted me, because she was suddenly at my side when I entered the camp. She led me to the tent we had shared and began pulling off the bloody and torn armor I wore. She was surprised and glad that I had no wounds, but she still made me lay down on the cot with her sitting on a chair beside me. The exhaustion that I managed to stave off finally caught up to me and I fell into a deep sleep…

_Poor Sulus…_

* * *

><p><em>And that's chapter 8… I'm sad now…<em>


	10. Chapter 9

_Hi, I've been replaying Oblivion a few times to get a renewed feel for the game and have returned completely refreshed. I managed to put out 3 chapters today! The first being Ch. 8, then this one, and then chapter 10!_

_The Guild Recruitment starts in this chapter! I'm now putting together my team and soon the MQ of Oblivion won't be entirely reliant on me. Some of the team will accomplish certain tasks for Martin while I'm either busy, out of reach, or too injured._

_Anyways, the first recruit is gonna be…_

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

_A surprise!_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Becoming a Hero<strong>_

Renault must have spotted me, because she was suddenly at my side when I entered the camp. She led me to the tent we had shared and began pulling off the bloody and torn armor I wore. She was surprised and glad that I had no wounds, but she still made me lay down on the cot with her sitting on a chair beside me. The exhaustion that I managed to stave off finally caught up to me and I fell into a deep sleep…

_Poor Sulus…_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

* * *

><p>The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, a few clouds floated in the sky, and we were being ambushed by another band of idiotic bandits.<p>

I weaved through the clumsy axe swings of the scruffy Nord. The rusty steel axe would come dangerously close to me, yet miss just so; this would enrage the Nord with each pass. He bellowed and cursed, calling me every name under the sun and made several queries about my parentage.

"D-damn ye white robed devil!" the Nord yelled after a particularly powerful overhead swing that missed me by a narrow margin. "Cu-ursh the band of fur'i basterds that paid your mother for the pleasure of mounting her for a septim fer five go's!" I thought that one was sad… the previous ones were much more creative; as well as a bit more insulting…

He overreached himself again with a wide cross slash and I kicked him solidly in the gut, knocking his breath away. As he recovered, I threw a vial of poison at his face which took him out of the fight (a.k.a. made him die a painful death). Satisfied with the death of another incompetent bandit, I checked to see who else I needed to kill, but alas all the other guys were dead. Renault had killed the others while I was fooling around, easily protecting Martin from the stupid bandits.

"Well, that takes care of that," I said, walking over to Martin and Renault. "Let's head ooonnnn….!" To my immense embarrassment, I tripped over the axe the Nord had dropped. The two looked at me incredulously; they couldn't understand me at all…

'I actually slept with this man? I'm actually having this man's baby?'

'This man saved Kvatch? He's responsible for the future of the Empire?'

_No respect…no respect at all…_

We were currently near the village of Weye; it's actually quite large and very busy. The inn was a good deal larger and was always filled with travelers and many fishermen. The shore was littered with shacks and boats; there were a few fishermen and their families on the sand.

My trio of travelers was blending into the crowd rather well as we made an essential stop in the Imperial City. Our disguises were topnotch if I do say so myself; we were dressed as a betrothed couple visiting the Temple of Akatosh. We wanted to have our unborn child blessed by our village priest, namely Brother Devon (Martin wearing his hood up). I was wearing a pair of sack cloth pants, leather boots, and a tan longsleeve shirt with a brown vest. I was armed with an iron shortsword. Renault was dressed in Blue Silk from the dress to her shoes. She was pissed that she couldn't carry any weapons…

* * *

><p>We were currently at the Merchant's Inn, sharing a room with two beds. Martin took one while Renault took the other. I had to keep guard in case the Mythic Dawn tried something.<p>

"So, Arthur," Martin asked as we sat around the dinner provided by the innkeeper. "While I'm eternally grateful to for saving the people of Kvatch and for your protection, I need to know more. I can't go on until I know what's on the road ahead." I opened my mouth to make a sarcastic comment on the route we would take, but Renault stomped my foot. She smiled sweetly at me while glaring daggers at me. I'm so whipped…

"Well for starters, we're gonna go to Weynon Priory to meet Brother Jauffre," I began. "He'll be able to explain much better…" I was so lying; I could tell him what was supposed to happen so easily…

"But I need to know what's going on!" Martin shouted, slamming his fists on the table. The silverware rattled and the fruits toppled off the table. Renault placed a calming hand on his shoulder. I felt a tinge of jealousy, but shook it off. After all, the guy was a priest and she was the mother of my unborn child… "I need to know why those daedra attacked Kvatch! And why my coming to Weynon Priory to meet another priest is so essential to the survival of the Empire!" He looked very distressed at the end of it. Renault whispered to me quietly, asking if we could tell him something that would settle his frustrations. I nodded to her. Jauffre could get mad at me later; I'm pretty sure I could take on the old man if I needed to.

"All right," I decided to tell him enough for him to get by; which, in my mind, was almost everything essential…almost. "To be put bluntly, the attack on Kvatch was because you lived there." Martin looked like he was stabbed in the gut while Renault looked at me in alarm. She didn't know why I had said that. Of course, she didn't know the daedra attacked for the specific task of killing Martin either… "The daedra targeted Kvatch with the sole purpose of killing the last heir of the late Uriel Septim. They came there to kill you."

"How do you know I'm the Emperor's son? It could have been anyone living in Kvatch!" Martin asked in a scared tone. His voice wavered with each syllable.

"Yes Arthur," Renault added in. She was wide-eyed and shocked. I forgot that she didn't know Martin was Uriel's son. "How do you know?"

"Renault, don't you remember what my job is, or rather was?" I replied to her. She nodded and slouched in comprehension. I turned back to Martin. "You are Uriel's son. Not only are you the spitting image of His Majesty's younger self, you exude a presence that just screams 'destiny'. Only the Septim line has this aura. Also, the Emperor told me exactly who you were just in case something happened to him. And guess what, something did. All the other heirs are dead and he was assassinated by the mortal agents of Mehrunes Dagon, the Daedric Prince of Destruction!"

I leaned back into my chair while Martin absorbed the information. Renault appeared to have a few questions herself. "I was the captain of the Emperor's personal guard. Why haven't I heard any of this before, especially from my predecessor? This would be something I would have needed to know!"

"I can't tell you why the Emperor didn't wish for you to know, but your predecessor didn't know either. It was the one before him that knew. He was Jauffre, who we are on the way to see. He was the captain back then. He was also the one that took Martin to the family that raised him."

"So my family was just hired to care for me?" Martin asked sullenly. "I was just a source of gold?" I shook my head.

"No, they didn't know who you were. Jauffre had taken you to his younger sister, who believed he was just a palace servant at the time. They were never told where you came from, just that you needed a home and Jauffre trusted them. They probably thought you were a bastard Jauffre spawned." I finished the lie, feeling that funny feeling return again. It was getting more intense each time. The first one was a slight tickle; this one was a deep chill.

"So, we're escorting the illegitimate son of the late Emperor to the Grandmaster of the Blades," Renault muttered quietly, even though both Martin and I could hear her. "I'm on a mission that could decide the fate of the Empire while pregnant with a man with no past and knows all about the future… I knew I should have listened to my mother when she warned me away from men wearing white robes…"

Martin looked at me in surprise. I blushed at his patronizing stare. He had a look that said, 'You're on a mission of great importance and the first thing you did was get a girl pregnant…' Then Renault looked up and gave one that said, 'I'm the bloody Captain of the Guard and I got pregnant because you're too bloody mysterious to resist!'

_Yeah, I'm badass… Actually, I memorized 'Every Stare has a Story' by Oculus…_

* * *

><p>The next morning, we made a quick stop at my shack. We needed some supplies from my basement. My potions, poisons, arrows and knives needed replenishment and Renault needed some new gear. She had to get rid of her stuff when we bought her dress and shoes. She wouldn't let me buy them for her, despite the fact that I'm rich and she's broke <span>and<span> the mother of my unborn child… She's so damn stubborn.

So she literally had nothing but the clothes on her back and needed new shit. Anyways, when we got into the basement Martin was shocked at the secret entrance to my armory. He was even more surprised by the amount of stuff I had there. I even gave him an enchanted dagger that he had been eyeing when he thought I wasn't looking.

Back to me, I got three new sets of assassin robes to replace the ones that got lost or destroyed. I even decided to replace _Anduril_ for now. I had the feeling that _Anduril_ was gonna cause a few problems in the future. I put it in its locked, trapped, and cursed display case while putting an enchanted Elven shortsword on my hip. It had a Drain Health, Magicka, and Fatigue enchantment; in the game, the equivalent strength would be a magnitude of 25 for 5 seconds each. It had a good 30 strikes before it needed recharging.

Renault decided to dress in a set of Mithril armor, minus the shield and helm. She stuck with a Silver Longsword and had her Akaviri Katana on her back like a two-handed blade would be. Her long brown hair fell in waves down her shoulders to her upper back. She stood proudly in front of a tall mirror, admiring and adjusting the armor to be a perfect fit. She looked so hot…

Martin came up and asked if he could have few of the scrolls I had for extra protection, which I agreed to readily.

_I was too distracted by Renault's ass to say no..._

We were coming up to Chorrol from the west when the one thing we had been watching out for happened. We were ambushed by the Mythic Dawn, and unlike the assassins sent after me before, these guys were skilled. They came at us out of nowhere, likely hidden by Invisibility potions, wearing their summoned armor. There were five of them; three came at us head-on wielding daedric maces while two held back. Those two flung lightning at us while the three attacked us up close. Renault quickly stabbed the one that went for Martin in the back while I held off the other two.

They worked well together; they would cover each other whenever I knocked one back. They were tough, but I ended up sending a super-charged Greater Fireball at them in frustration. I was suddenly knocked to my ass when a bolt of magical lightning grazed my arm. Renault screamed in fear when she saw me go down and Martin flung opened one of the scrolls he got from me.

He read the words quickly and pointed the scroll at the agents like a wand. The scroll emitted a soft glow and fired off a huge array of lightning, frying the two instantly. The scroll then turned to dust.

Renault was by my side as I got up. The lightning stung a good deal, but my robes blocked most of the blast. The right arm was damaged; the sleeve was missing, leaving the shoulder and the gauntlet intact, yet darkened as if burnt. The skin on the area struck was cooked like a steak and the surrounding area was bright red. Renault was softly rubbing a strong health potion on the wound while Martin was casting Convalescence at me. The wound quickly became good as new, though the arm felt very tender and sore.

Renault helped me to my feet as two Chorrol guards came charging down the path. "We saw a burst of lightning coming from this direction. Is everything all right here?" one of them asked. I glanced around, the ground was scorched and the bodies had been disintegrated by the spell from the scroll. That was one powerful spell…

"No, just a faulty scroll going off; it fell out of my pack and caught my friend in the arm," Martin answered. The guards accepted it without question and walked with us to Chorrol.

We stopped for rest and healing at the cathedral while outside another thunderstorm raged. Martin was talking with the cleric in charge while Renault tried to get me to stop serving her every whim. We had been snacking on some apples from my Bag when she commented on a strange craving for roasted venison. I took one look at her and ran out into the storm, much to her shock. I then returned moments later with a piping hot platter of roasted venison and a pitcher of the tamrielic equivalent of coffee, honeyed apple tea. Renault actually squealed in delight as she feasted on the venison and tea, squealed!

The cleric, a female Breton, cooed at the scene while Martin told her that Renault was pregnant. She was even more delighted and quickly shooed both Martin and I away. She and Renault entered into the ancient ritual forbidden to all men. Girl Talk…

Martin didn't understand what had happened but I explained the phenomenon to him. He nodded and we ended up talking about his time as a priest of Akatosh. It's ironic that a man with the blood of Akatosh would unknowingly become a priest of Akatosh, all the while 'rebelling' against his foster parents.

After several hours and the coming of morning, we set out down to Weynon. The trip was short and we found the Priory in shambles. Prior Mable was dead and Brother Pimer was tending to the dunmer groundskeeper. He quickly sent us upstairs to see Jauffre.

_The Amulet's gonna be gone… I knew I should have made a fake made and given to Jauffre…_

* * *

><p><em>There's Chapter 9! Ok, I lied. I ended up filling my 2000 word limit and put the recruitment of my first teammate in the next chapter.<em>


	11. Chapter 10

_Yeah, now the Recruitment Arc sorta starts here. You get a glimpse of the first member of my team in this chapter._

_Anyways, I need to make a decision. There's gonna be timeskip real soon, and most of Renault's pregnancy is gonna go by. I need to decide the gender of the child. Please vote on my profile._

_Currently, my friends have voted amongst themselves and the current score (not shown on my new poll) is:_

_Girl = 12 (I voted for this one)_

_Boy = 9_

_So add your vote and see whether or not my progeny is a boy or girl!_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Becoming a Hero<strong>_

* * *

><p>After several hours and the coming of morning, we set out down to Weynon. The trip was short and we found the Priory in shambles. Prior Mable was dead and Brother Pimer was tending to the dunmer groundskeeper. He quickly sent us upstairs to see Jauffre.<p>

_The Amulet's gonna be gone… I knew I should have made a fake made and given to Jauffre…_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

* * *

><p>"I told you I should have kept the Amulet," I ranted at Jauffre. "It would have been safer since the Cult sent idiots after me. But no, you had to be a paranoid old coot and hid the Amulet in a locked chest in your room; real clever, old man." Martin and Renault looked at me like I was insane and Jauffre just nodded his head. I could see that he regretted not letting me keep the Amulet.<p>

"Yes, you're right," he said, shocking Renault. She couldn't believe that the Grandmaster was agreeing with me. "It would have been safer with an unknown traveler than with a so-called secret Blades master. From the reports on your travels and the battle of Kvatch and the closing of the Oblivion Gate, you would have been a more than adequate guardian." He then looked up at me with a dead serious expression and I sat up. Now comes the journey to Cloud Ruler Temple.

"What are to do now, Grandmaster?" Renault asked. Martin nodded at her question. If Weynon was no longer safe, where were we to go? Jauffre had been about to answer when I butted in. I needed to make another jab at the old coot.

"We need to head to a more secure location. There are three places that will be much safer than anywhere else." I got up and placed my own map on the table between myself and Jauffre. Martin and Renault moved closer and could see all the marks I had made. There were a few places that they'd never heard of, or only heard rumors of.

Jauffre looked intrigued at my announcement and gestured for me to continue. I nodded and started to point out three places on the map. "Firstly, there's Cloud Ruler Temple; its north of Bruma on a high peak. It's manned by a small battalion of Blades and can last several months if under siege. There's only one way in or out of the Temple as long as you can't fly."

Jauffre interrupted. "Yes, that was to be my suggestion. Does Your Majesty wish to go there now?" he asked Martin.

"Not yet, I want to hear what other safe houses Arthur has in mind," he replied. "Take no offense Jauffre. It's just that you failed to safeguard the Amulet of Kings while Arthur here has made good on every promise and task thrust upon his shoulders since I came to know him." Jauffre conceded at that and turned back to me.

"Alright, the next place doesn't appear safe at first glance. It's located northeast of the Imperial City. The Ayleid ruin called Vilverin is one of my own safe houses." All three looked intrigued while Jauffre had a modicum of doubt in his expression. "I cleared it out and placed dozen upon dozen of traps within the ruin. I also discovered a few rooms never before opened that were excessively well hidden. The place is nigh impenetrable to all but the most dedicated of fools. You'd need to quite literally send wave after wave of men to get past all the traps and the undead that haunt and linger there. Even if they got through all of that, they'd still need to find the hidden entrance to the chambers we'd stay in. And the way to the living chambers from the entrance is trapped to hell as well."

While Renault and Martin looked impressed, Jauffre was still doubtful about my boasts. "If the ruin is as secure as you say, why do I still get reports of a band of marauders and a necromancer living there?" At this Jauffre looked like he had me. Martin stared at me questioningly while Renault waited for my reply. Looks like she's starting to believe in my awesomeness…

"Because I allow them to; after all, who would suspect an agent of the Empire to hide in a bandit infested ruin that also happens to be haunted by the undead servants of a necromancer?" Jauffre knew I had him thereand Renault even gave me a slight applause.

"And what of the third location Arthur?" Martin asked. I turned back to the map and pointed straight at Skingrad. Jauffre looked at me incredulously while Martin and Renault waited for me to explain.

"Skingrad is the location of another safe house I created. It's located in the rundown tower just outside the castle." The group had varying reactions yet again. Martin was happy enough to wait while Renault was eager to know what was special about the tower. Jauffre was once again skeptical.

"The tower itself is not the actual safe house, but a mere platform for going to my real safe house. You do know how the magical portals in the Arcane University work, correct Jauffre?" He nodded. Many knew about the Teleporting Pad within the Arcane University's main tower. "Well this tower has a teleport as well, just keyed to accept only certain people. The tower is trapped to collapse upon itself and implode when someone not authorized tries to force the portal to open.

"And where does this portal lead Arthur?" Renault asked eagerly. She was grasping my left hand and looking up at me with those dratted brown eyes. They glimmered with the perfect combination of admiration, curiosity, respect, and expectation. I couldn't say no to anything when she looks at me like that. She quite literally sent me into a vampires' nest to prove a point using this expression, but that's a story for another time.

"It leads to a Dwemer outpost hidden deep underground. The compound is pretty extensive, over 30 rooms, each the size of this priory or smaller. It's well lit thanks to Dwemer technology and seems to be powered by a giant waterwheel pushed by an underground river. The same river also provides fresh water and several hidden vents provide air. The outpost is very safe and had a well-stocked armory of Dwemer armor and armaments."

Jauffre had a thoughtful look on his face and asked, "Is there any way inside via a tunnel or something similar?" I nodded and pointed to Skingrad once more.

"There's a tunnel that leads out of the outpost and up under Rosethorn Manor, which is owned by an associate of mine," I said. Renault looked vaguely pissed that I actually owned a manor and had insisted on using run-down shack as a base of operations for months.

"Well Your Majesty," Jauffre asked Martin who was deep in thought. "Where do you believe would be best?" He clearly wanted to go to Cloud Ruler, but knew that an unwilling occupant is just another word for prisoner. Renault was still glaring at me angrily. While Martin and Jauffre conversed on the three possible safe houses, I was subjected to an angry monologue by Renault.

_She's pissed…_

* * *

><p>"A bloody manor! You're such an arse, Arthur Lost-Saint!" she yelled at me in the priory chapel building. The chapel was surprisingly untouched. I was sitting on the front-most pew on the right while Renault paced before me.<p>

"All that talk about being completely unknown was a load of crap, wasn't it Arthur!" she yelled again. I was about to answer when she threw a pitcher from the altar at me. I shut up and let her finish. "We've been trudging through the wilderness, slogged through snow and rain, and slept in the most horrid places when you had a fucking manor in Skingrad we could have stayed in!" Yeah, she's starting to use Earth-curses from hanging around with me…

"All I wanted was a clean, warm bed to sleep in at night, but no," she muttered angrily, jabbing a finger at me. "You said you didn't have any house suitable for us! You said most of your safe houses were glorified hollow trees! You lied to me!" Yeah, she was close to tears now.

"You lied to the mother of your unborn child!" She's sobbing on her knees and the gut wrenching guilt is clawing at my heart. I get down and hug her as she smacks me repeatedly.

"I hate you, you utter bastard!" _**Smack**_…she just full on slapped me with a mithril-covered hand. It's gonna bruise and I'm gonna have to wear it for the next couple days as punishment…

She continues to sniffle for a few minutes before falling asleep. Seeing as the sun is setting, I lift her up and carried her back to the Priory.

After setting her in an open bed, I head across the stairs to see what Martin and Jauffre have decided.

"Where's Captain Renault?" Juaffre asked, seeing me and not her. "I heard quite a racket coming from the chapel." Then he started to glare at me. "As well as a woman's sobs. So, are you going to explain what happened?" Martin smirked at me; the bastard knew what was up, he was being an arse.

"Renault was pissed that we could have relaxed at a manor all these months and I made her stay in grimy inns and pubs instead. Then she ended up crying thanks to the hormonal imbalance that comes with all pregnancies…" I muttered, slouched in a chair. Martin was smirking full force now while Jauffre was shocked and utterly confused.

"Did you say 'pregnant'?" he whispered. "I had no idea the captain was with child. If I had known, I would have had her stay here while you retrieved Martin… Why didn't she inform me in her reports?" He muttered more questions under his breath before turning an accusing glare to me. "And another thing; why didn't you inform me? After all, you had to have noticed such activities during your travels together. Tell me, who is the father? I'll need to speak with both him and Cpt. Renault as soon as possible." He had his hands steepled upon the desk and was giving me a stern look.

Martin made a few coughing sounds, repeatedly glancing at me when he caught Jauffre's attention. The old man took a few minutes to figure out what Martin was trying to say, when he suddenly looked as if he was struck by lightning. He whirled to me and jabbed an accusing finger at me. Martin was openly chuckling at my panicked face.

"YOU! You're the father!" Jauffre exclaimed. I heard a thump come from across the room as Martin was trying to hold in his laughter. Jauffre was scandalized.

"Yes, yes I am," I said bluntly. Jauffre dropped back into his chair with a shocked expression on his face. He looked at me curiously.

"How in the name of Akatosh did this come about?" he asked bewilderedly. Martin's eyes were teary from the effort of holding in his laughter. I heard someone walking behind us and saw Renault coming toward us. Apparently she woke up thanks to Jauffre's big mouth…

"Good job Jauffre," I said to him. "You woke up a woman in need of much rest with your hysterics…" Jauffre jumped and was about to offer Renault his apologies, as well as his chair, when she simply curled up on my lap and fell back asleep. He looked at her incredulously before turning his gaze to me. I shrugged and said,

"Hormones make her clingy." I was then treated to a whap to the head by a sleep Renault. Martin rolled his eyes at that and Jauffre actually chuckled at me.

"Ahh, I see," he said quietly. "But I still wish to know how this (he gestured at both Renault and I) came about." I hummed softly and said,

"We had a few too many drinks at the Bloated Float and woke up the next morning naked in bed. You can figure out the rest." Jauffre nodded in understanding.

"So it wasn't a planned event, just a pleasant coincidence." He muttered. He had a thoughtful look on his face, but just shrugged. He coughed a few times, changing the subject and clearing the atmosphere. "On a side note, both His Majesty and I have decided that Cloud Ruler Temple would be best, with the Dwemer outpost being a contingency for the moment. If Cloud Ruler is deemed unsuitable, we'll relocate to the outpost posthaste."

"Ok then, but just so you know, the outpost is still gonna be my first choice."

The next morning, we set out to Cloud Ruler Temple by horse. Martin was seated on a black stallion while the rest of us made do on chestnuts. The paint horse belonging to Prior Mable had been killed in the assault.

We took the long winding road through the woods to avoid detection, easily taking out any bandits with a blast of destruction magick. Martin was humming pleasantly while Jauffre jumped at every sound. His hand was constantly on the Akaviri katana at his hip. Renault was resplendent in her mithril armor and was singing under her breath. She had forgiven me about the manor once I assured her that we'd visit it sometime soon.

I was dressed once more in a new set of assassin robes and had the elven shortsword at my hip and my Drain Fatigue bow on my back. We were making good progress and would make it to Bruma by nightfall if we were lucky.

_I had spoken to soon…_

We got ambushed by a group of rogue mages just as we entered the snowy terrain of the Jerral Mountains. The mages waited until we came to the middle of their site and came at us instantly. With the exception of Martin's black, all our horses were killed by the Fireballs thrown at us. Jauffre, Renault and I fell to the ground as our horses died. Jauffre yelled at Martin to ride as fast as he could to Cloud Ruler while we held off the mages.

As Martin galloped away, it became apparent that the mages weren't alone. They had us surrounded and out of the bushes stepped three Mythic Dawn agents.

"So, we've managed to capture the _Hero of Kvatch_ and his little whore," the middle one said. The voice indicated that it was a female Altmer. They all had iron longswords at their hips and staves on their backs. I growled at the woman who called Renault a whore. I wanted to just kill her but knew that Renault and Jauffre would get slaughtered. Renault placed a hand on my shoulder and I forced myself to calm down. We needed a plan to get out of here alive.

As the Altmer woman mocked us and praised the 'coming of a new dawn', the agent on her right made a few curious gestures at me. He was gesturing to the woman and mimed a quick slash with his hand by his side. Getting the message, I powered up a widespread Firestorm. Renault signaled Juaffre who nodded. We had a plan and an unlikely ally.

The double agent quickly unsheathed his sword and swiped at the Altmer woman. It left a bloody gash across her back and I let the Firestorm loose as Renault and Jauffre threw themselves to the ground. The mages were thrown back as I fell to my knees in exhaustion. The double agent then turned and stabbed the third agent on the ground and moved to finish off the mages. Jauffre and Renault did the same as I chugged a Restore Magicka potion.

With the ambushers dead, we decided to find out who this savior was.

We were standing by a rocky outcropping when the agent lifted the hood off his head and revealed that 'he' was actually a 'she'. She was a Bosmer woman almost Renault's height. Compared to the various Bosmer women I'd seen before, she was much prettier than most of them. She was had wide green eyes and dark brown hair that was arranged in a messy bun. There was a playful smirk on her face that made Renault take a more possessive stance near me.

"In the name of the Blades, I thank you for your assistance dear lady," Jauffre said, clasping her hand and bowing slightly. I titled my head in thanks and Renault gave a jerky nod at her. Her smirk widened into a smile and her whole body seemed to radiant happiness.

"Glad to help old man," she said in a cheery voice. From the sound of it, she was quite young. The way her eyes moved, it seemed as if she was just out of her teens. "I needed an opportunity to take that woman out and this ambush provided it."

"'Take her out'?" Renault inquired, clinging to my arm tightly. I had to say, the possessiveness is really great at stoking my ego.

"She's my mark, or rather was my mark…" the Bosmer muttered. She turned to me and asked, "If a target is dead, do they still count as a mark or count as a previous mark?" Renault and Jauffre were confused by the question, but figured that I would know the answer due to my status as an assassin.

"Well, a mark counts as a current assignment until four hours after their death," I explain to the three. "It's within that timeframe that healing spells can technically revive you from death, depending on the severity of the wound. After that, _rigor mortis_ is complete and your body truly dies." The Bosmer girl nods and thanks me. Turning quickly, she leaps into the bushes and on to a horse hidden in the shrubbery. Waving goodbye, she took off in the direction of Cheydinhal.

The trio followed her progress then headed up to Bruma to meet up with Martin.

_Why did that spell take so much out of me? According to the mages I've met, casting spells doesn't take any effort; just magicka. It's not just the spell. I feel so different, and what scares me the most… I like it a lot…_

* * *

><p><em>Sorry about the delay. I've recently hit a obstacle of monumental proportions: a computer virus. I have to be very careful right now as I've gotten rid of it and must use a public computer to upload my stories.<em>

_The one who sent me the virus shall be begging for anal sex with Mehrunes Dagon when **Inspiration(c)** get through with them..._


	12. Chapter 11

_Hey, I'm starting the Recruitment Arc for those that ignored the Author's Note at the beginning and end of the previous chapter._

_For those that were wondering, __Anduril__ is gonna be shelved for the moment. It's mainly part of the plot and the 'why' will be revealed soon._

_I'll also be getting into a bit of trouble with Renault soon and the timeskip will happen in a few chapters._

_So, onto the chapter!_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Becoming a Hero<strong>_

* * *

><p><em>Why did that spell take so much out of me? According to the mages I've met, casting spells doesn't take any effort; just magicka. It's not just the spell. I feel so different, and what scares me the most… I like it a lot…<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

* * *

><p>Bruma was exactly the same as every other time I visited; wet, cold, and snowy. We were just coming through the gates when Martin had a couple of guards following him as they charged toward us. It was kinda funny seeing him and the guards skid and fall over when they saw us. But the funniest part was seeing Jauffre's panicky response.<p>

Jauffre was a man of advanced age and had severe lack of recent training to compensate for his slowly aging body. He tried to run and assist Martin and ended up falling face first into the muddy snow. As Renault and I watched Jauffre, Martin, and the contingent of guards attempt to get up but ultimately slip and fall back down, we came to the conclusion that there must be solid ice under all that snow.

_It was hilarious…_

"We said we were sorry!" I gasped out as our group was making our way up the mountain to the fortress at the summit. The old man and Martin were sulking like children; they were physically and emotionally sore right now. The icy ground left them with a few bruises but I figured that the bruises to their egos hurt a lot more. They were pretty miffed at the uncontrollable laughter that erupted from Renault and I at their misfortune in Bruma.

"Hmph," huffed the Grandmaster. Renault was still giggling in memory of Jauffre's frantic flailing and his cries of 'Your Majesty!' Heck, Martin was laughing as well; but do you see Jauffre pissed at the smirking emperor? No, the old man was pissed at me and the giggly woman at my side.

"Come now Jauffre," Martin said placating him when he saw Jauffre's hand inching toward the Dai-Katana on his back. "It was rather humorous and we even managed to get more suitable clothes for the region." Seeing the unchanging expression on Jauffre's face, he added smiling even wider. "Well, look at it this way; when Renault's child is older, you can tell them all the embarrassing things that Arthur is sure to befall."

It didn't do much to change Jauffre's mood; didn't matter now anyways. We reached the great wooden doors to Cloud Ruler Temple. Jauffre looked up and shouted, "Open the gates, Cyrus! I'm bloody cold and we have a pregnant woman in our midst!"

There was large clamoring and shouts of surprise. Moments later the gates opened and Cyrus stepped out wearing ill-fitted armor and a sleeping cap. "G-g-grandmaster! What a surprise!" You could tell Jauffre was not amused by the sheepish Blade and the shoddy attire.

"Stand at attention Cyrus, you're in the presence of the new Emperor!" Jauffre practically growled. Cyrus's eyes widened and he quickly glanced at me in shock. "No, not him!" Jauffre shouted and dragged the laughing priest forward. "This is Martin, last son of Uriel Septim!" Cyrus glanced at Martin who was still smiling. Cyrus immediately straightened up and pulled his cap behind his back.

"W-w-welcome your Highness!" he stuttered. "C-cloud Ruler Temple hasn't had the honor of the E-e-emperor's presence in quite some time." He glanced at Jauffre who just huffed in disappointment. We waited for Cyrus to guide us in but he just stood there idly; he looked really nervous.

"Well Cyrus?" Jauffre asked angrily. "Isn't it time you let us in? We can't leave the Emperor out in the open!" Cyrus sputtered and we heard more crashes up the stairs; we heard the sound of people cursing and scrambling around frantically. I glanced at Renault and she looked incredulous. Martin was barely holding in his snickers while Jauffre leveled a death glare at the rapidly paling Blade.

"W-w-e…uhh…O-okay then,' Cyrus sighed. We followed him up the stairs and beheld the majesty that was Cloud Ruler Temple.

* * *

><p><em>It was a mess…<em>

The place was a disaster area. The paint was peeling and you could see lines of laundry running along the courtyard. There was a few sheep hiding in the stable to the left. There were broken windows and one of the hall doors was on the ground. There was scattered hay everywhere and toppled barrels rolling around; the resident Blades were running around trying to clean up as much as they could. Up on the roof we could see someone, a woman by the look of things, gathering her clothes whilst being near naked herself. Jauffre was furious at the condition of the once-proud fortress.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA"

We turned and saw Martin on his knees; the priest was busting his ribs trying to reign in his laughter. Cyrus was glowing red in misery and embarrassment as Jauffre was rendered speechless at the sight behind us. Near the guard shelter stood Fortis, stark naked. He was using his helmet to preserve what little modesty he had left. He smiled at us, clearly drunk as hell when Jauffre started screaming in outrage; he finally cracked.

He yelled about 'lack of discipline' and a 'leave of their senses' all the while throwing random junk at the frantic Blades; he managed to nail Roliand with a small pumpkin. It was a madhouse and I loved it.

"This place is great Jauffre, I'm really glad we came," I joked as we sat in the cleanest room in the compound. It was the Emperor's suite; it had a clear inch of dust when we came in and there were a few rats hiding under the bed. Martin was seated on the bed while Renault and I were seated by the open window. Jauffre was standing against the wall, repeatedly thumping his head against the support beam.

"Come now Jauffre," Martin added in. "It's clear that the Mythic Dawn would not expect me to be here of all places. After all, with the state of the Temple, I'd be likely hidden in a secure underground facility inaccessible through most means." Yeah, Martin was trashing the old man too. Jauffre leveled a withering glare at us before resuming his head-thumping routine.

Renault on the other hand was pretty calm to the unobservant. To those with keen eyes and a strong survival instinct, they could spot the anger simmering just beneath the surface. She was still dressed in the sexy Mithril armor, too ashamed to wear the Akaviri armor of the Blades; her compatriots here at Cloud Ruler were an embarrassment to the organization as a whole.

The mug that she was sipping from creaked slightly and her foot tapped impatiently; clear signs of her irritation. There was a tentative knock on the sliding door and I got up to see who it was.

There at the door, standing a fully fitted, yet dusty and slightly rusty, set of Akaviri armor stood the pale faced Cyrus; which was quite interesting to see, because Cyrus was a particular dark-complexioned Redguard hailing directly from Hammerfell.

"D-dinner is r-ready, sir" he stuttered, saluting me and shivering at the glaring old man behind me. "I-I-I'll be going now." And with that he scurried off to do his duty with fanatical exuberance. Martin chuckled again and we headed down for a well-deserved meal.

* * *

><p><em>Dinner sucked balls…<em>

Martin had lost his former humor and even I was pretty pissed. We prodded the meager meal that was before us. We each had a few grapes, a quarter loaf of bread, a charred strip of venison, and a hefty tankard of mead as our 'dinner'. Jauffre was glaring blazing swords of death at the crying woman who served us our meal. Caroline was shaking from head to toe; her armor rattled loudly as tears streaked down her cheeks. The resident 'chef', Pelagius, was huddled near the iron stove; he was shaking so badly the whole stove rattled louder than Caroline's armor.

Apparently the food stores were low due to 'excessive consumption due to inebriation, several team-bonding exercises, and excessive formal court training'; in other words 'we're out of food because we spent all out time drinking and partying'. Sighing in frustration, I whipped out my Bag and pulled out the food I had stored away. Jauffre looked at me in shock as I laid a veritable feast before Renault.

There was a smoked slaughterfish and a small keg of honeyed mead; next up were a large leg of slow roasted venison and a basket of freshly baked bread. I even set down a small pot of freshly-made jam before the very hungry mother of my child. Martin and Jauffre salivated as I made a smiling Renault a large plate of food and another for myself.

"I was saving these for a rainy day, but I guess I needed them sooner than expected." I said as Jauffre and Martin descended upon the food vigorously. I spotted the various Blades peeking into the Hall and drooling at the food. I sighed and gestured for them to join in; they were quick buggers. I didn't know someone could run that fast or silently in heavy armor.

The rowdy bunch quickly started laughing and speaking amongst themselves and to Martin and Jauffre. Renault was ignoring them; content to eat in silence. I brought my plate as well as a pint of mead out into the night; someone had to keep watch. I was out here for a good hour before Renault joined me, dressed in thick winter clothing and carrying a large wool blanket. She draped the blanket over me and snuggled up under it as we watched the mountain path for travelers.

"'Secure fortress manned with the best the Empire has to offer' my ass," she mumbled, clearly thinking of the sight we were greeted with when we first arrived. I laughed and said,

"I know. The underground base would have been so much better." I leaned down and whispered to her. "There was even an underground hotspring sectioned off for us to use." Renault looked at me in surprise and punched me in the arm.

"Why didn't you mention that before?" she said. "Had I known that, I would have pushed Jauffre to choose your outpost instead." I shrugged and gazed into the night. Renault gave up glaring at me and snuggled closer; the weather may suck, but at least I get to cuddle with Renault without her punching me. I swear, anything that she doesn't initiate is off-limits! I tried being a little…_affectionate_ back at camp in Kvatch and she punches me in the gut! Another time was at the Market District when I tried to hold her hand; she practically broke my arm!

_I don't get this woman, but sitting here with her next to me right now… All of it was so worth the reward._

* * *

><p>It's been a week since we got here and Jauffre still hasn't gotten word of the Amulet's potential location. I wanted to just tell him where we needed to be, but I held back; Jauffre was already a bunch of twitchy frayed nerves right now. He might decide to kill me for stress relief! Martin has taken to reading all the court etiquette books in the dining hall, his personal bodyguard Ferrum stood nearby as always. I had taken to having a few…'heartfelt' moments with Renault; insert heavy sarcasm…<p>

By 'heartfelt' I mean we sparred together; and by sparring I mean I met every strike with a block or parry while she screamed many creative and heartfelt death threats at me. I couldn't help it! She was _pregnant!_ I could barely bring myself to even hold this stupid dagger to block her sword! Anyways it was a suck-ass weeklong wait.

Aside from our 'moments' together, Renault has been having me assist as she got the men (and women) back in shape. She had them running drills between shifts and reciting the Blade Oath before every meal. But the worst 'activity' so far was when Renault had the Blades run up and down the mountain in full gear, weapons and all, regardless of weather, every morning at dawn. It sucked that I had to get up when they did but Renault gave me a suitable reward…

_Get your minds out of the gutter!_

Whenever one started falling behind I got to toss a few weak Fireballs at them; nothing too powerful of course, but just enough to get them going. My favorite target so far is Arcturus; the smug little Imperial bastard. I was a little vindictive when I managed to nail him in the rear, but let me tell you, the asshole deserved it!

This entire week he's been making certain advances toward Renault; sometimes while I'm right next to her. Renault always brushes him off but I'm a jealous asshole. I felt especially pissed when he tried to snuggle up to her during dinner one night. Renault pushed him away and leveled a calming stare at me, but I'll get him; oohh, I'll get him…

My Revenge will be swift and merciless; the bastard's gonna regret he ever set eyes on MY Renault!

It's currently Mondas and Renault took Jena and Caroline…_*shudders*_…shopping... down in Bruma. I was all ready to go but she looked at me once and said one word, "Stay." I sat back down and resumed talking with Ferrum; he and I sparred occasionally.

"So," Ferrum muttered quietly once the ladies left. "What are you going to do to Arcturus now that Renault's not around?" I glanced at him curiously. "I'm not being nosy, the other lads and I want to know when to be…conveniently absent; that's all." I glanced around the courtyard and smiled cruelly at Ferrum; he shuddered and said, "We'll be in the Great Hall drinking. We'll send Arcturus out for his shift at the east sentry tower."

I raised my mug in thanks and returned to watching the ladies slowly disappear from sight.

It was chilly outside; the roof was even windier than usual. I waited in silence as the lads had their fun. Renault was staying at the Jerall View Inn to wait out the snowstorm tonight; lucky me…_*snickers cruelly*_…

Anyways I spotted the main doors open up and saw Arcturus return to his post. I quickly nocked a very special arrow on my regular Steel Bow; it was a normal arrow with a very special attachment. The arrow had a special vial bound to it; said vial was filled with a even more special potion. I waited and watched as Arcturus made his rounds; he was taking so long…

Finally the ass returned to the sentry tower and slouched into a wooden chair. I pulled back and took careful aim; after all, I didn't want him dead, just…_enlightened_…

I fired and watched as the arrow struck the post right above Arcturus's head; the vial shattered and the potion drenched Arcturus. The idiot cursed loudly and sounded the alarm; everyone came running out as he shouted. They searched for me half-heartedly; they knew I was hiding and that they wouldn't find me unless I wanted them to. I was wearing a set of white robes to blend in with the snow; not my assassin robes of course, but a set of regular ones.

After a half hour of searching they gave up and Arcturus returned to his post. I nocked another arrow with a different potion and repeated my action. Arcturus yelped and sounded the alarm again. The process repeated itself and I waited again.

I kept doing the same thing several times until dawn and I snuck back inside. The men inside were either asleep or lounging in the East Wing. The ones that were awake saw me come in and chuckled; they knew what I had been up to.

A little later, Arcturus came in and Achille went out for his shift. Arcturus looked awful; he hadn't slept all night and was paranoid as heck. I had collected the arrows I had fired during one of his patrols and smoothed out the wood with a Restoration spell; found that out while I was tossing knives at the wall in Jauffre's room. Renault had been pissed beyond belief at the damage I did; she yelled at me to fix it before she got back or else…

Suffice to say I had been frantic and tossed a hasty Convalescence at the wall in desperation when I heard footsteps coming. I watched in fascination as the wall healed and Renault came into the room huffing angrily. However when she turned to see what she hoped was a hasty patch job; to her immense surprise, she found smooth wood. She turned to me with wide eyes and asked,

"How did you do it? I was gone for only a few minutes…" She asked in awe. Inwardly I wondered as well but I just smirked proudly and said,

"What's it worth to you, hmm?" She stared at first then tackled me to the bedroll. Needless to say, Jauffre stayed downstairs and no one else got any sleep that night. Come morning I walked into the Great Hall with a smug smile while everyone glared hatefully at me. Well the men glared, Jena and Caroline blushed and wouldn't look at me. When Renault came down, she saw everyone's baggy eyes and ran back upstairs, blushing brightly.

I turned back to the crowded room and just smiled. "How was your night?" I asked the group as I sat down. The food was good; Jauffre had commissioned a steady stream of supplies from Bruma.

"I hate you," Ferrum growled. He was especially tired; he was glaring at me hatefully. I flashed him a grin and shrugged. I felt a hand grasp my shoulder firmly. I turned and found Jauffre standing behind me; he was looking worse for the wear and clearly annoyed.

"You will burn the bedroll, the desk, the chair, the prayer mat, the bookshelf…" he listed every piece of furniture, the rugs and even the bloody tapestry! Well I could understand where he was coming from; we did have sex against every surface in the room. Yes it was awesome…

"Ok, how about this," I asked. "Renault and I use the room. She's gonna need the privacy in a few months. I'll get a bed and we'll use that room from now on. I'll even get you a real bed and room dividers for you downstairs. How about that?" Jauffre rubbed his eyes tiredly and nodded.

"But please add in some Silence spells every night," he muttered as he sat beside me. We enjoyed a nice meal with the tired Blades. When I set aside a few plates for Renault, Ferrum muttered about me being well trained and I shrugged. I didn't deny it; she had me wrapped around her little finger.

It was hours later that the blushing mother-to-be came down; she strode out proudly with her head held high. She sat between Jena and Caroline near the corner; there were blushes and much whispering. The two ladies glanced at me and I smirked; Renault made a gesture I didn't catch and the two blushed even brighter. Ferrum looked at me questioningly.

"The ladies are participating in an ancient ritual known simply as 'Girl Talk'," I replied. Ferrum and the few guys nearby moved in closer as I explained the ancient and mysterious ritual. "It's a universal bonding ritual that any and every woman has the instinctual knowledge of. They will talk of anything and everything; recent news, simple gossip, opinions on men and other women, etc." The lads nodded in limited understanding; after all, what man could possibly hope to comprehend womankind.

_Divines Damn you, Baurus! Hurry up with your investigations!_

* * *

><p><em>And here's another chapter of <em>_**Becoming a Hero**__. Next chapter is a trip to the IC, shopping for baby stuff, and meeting with Baurus. And I recruit the Bosmer assassin from before!_


	13. Chapter 12

_Ok, I made a mistake in the ending Author's note. We won't be heading to the IC for continuing the MQ for another chapter or so. We won't be in Skingrad, just in Cheydinhal instead. And I'll be recruiting the Bosmer assassin and my Fighter's Guild teammate in the next chapter for plot purposes._

_Anyways, I really need to make a decision about the gender of the baby by the next chapter. Whichever choice gets the most votes by Wednesday (09/07/2011) will be the winner._

_Also, for those that may be wondering about visits from __**Inspiration©**__, she'll be reappearing as an annoying voice from now on. There will be a reasonable explanation._

* * *

><p><em>A list of the current equipment I'll be sticking with this chapter:<em>

_White Assassin Robes – Altair's style_

_Iron Arrows (15)_

_Steel Bow (unechanted)_

_Elven Shortsword (unechanted) – the one from my Armoury was given to Renault as a back-up_

_Iron Daggers (numerous hidden in robes)_

_Retractable Wristblade (Altair's, not Ezio's)_

_Bag of Holding_

_Kvatch Shield (Detect Life enchantment)_

_For Renault:_

_Mithril Armor (Cuirass, Boots, Greaves, Gloves)_

_Silver Longsword_

_A certain accessory for her left hand…_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Becoming a Hero<strong>_

* * *

><p>"The ladies are participating in an ancient ritual known simply as 'Girl Talk'," I replied. Ferrum and the few guys nearby moved in closer as I explained the ancient and mysterious ritual. "It's a universal bonding ritual that any and every woman has the instinctual knowledge of. They will talk of anything and everything; recent news, simple gossip, opinions on men and other women, etc." The lads nodded in limited understanding; after all, what man could possibly hope to comprehend womankind.<p>

_Divines Damn you, Baurus! Hurry up with your investigations!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

* * *

><p>It was the day after Renault returned and Arcturus was now affected by the numerous potions I doused him in. Renault looked at me suspiciously every time Arcturus would be overcome with hives when he was within ten feet of her; I shrugged and smiled at her. She just shook her head in exasperation.<p>

It seems today was mail day and we received several packages and letters from a Bruma guard. It was the weekly post; last week's was held up by a bandit raid on the mail caravan. Belisarius passed out the various letters and packages; Jauffre received a few secret reports and Renault got a fancy looking letter. But the most surprising thing of all was the letter and long package I received.

I left Renault to read her post and I dragged my mail up to our room. I opened up the package to reveal a ruined, yet very ornate Sword. I examined the sword carefully; there were numerous dents, gouges and a worn inscription on the blade. On a whole, the sword was three and a half feet long. The grip took up a half foot, making it a hand-and-a-half sword; the three foot blade was two sided. It had a plain golden crossguard and hilt. It seemed very familiar, like something I saw in a movie once. Turning back to the inscription, I found that it presented a very chilling message.

"_**Drown in the abyss, ye who wield this blade"**_

I was really creeped out because I felt a ghastly chill envelop my entire body when I held the sword aloft. Placing it on the bed, I pulled open the letter and read it.

"_Dear Arthur Lost-Saint,_

_I was surprised that the man who has yet to fulfill the Rite had braved Oblivion and returned victorious. I had great expectations for you and had thought that you were a coward since Rufio has yet to die. But now that tales of your adventure has reached my ears, I've decided to give you a…gift…of sorts._

_My death looms closer and the Brotherhood will soon become weakened beyond compare. Take this gift and aid my Silencer when they call for your aid, Lost Brother._

_I, Lucien Lachance, being of sound mind and body, do so bequeath this cursed blade to you. May you keep it safe and wield it against the Coming of a New Dawn._

_Beware Brtoher; beware its corruptive influence and never let it taste the blood of the innocent; fore if it does, it gain immeasurable power. It will begin to gather the blood of the living and souls of the dead. This gathering shall transform this blade into a weapon more powerful and terrible than the Sword of Umbra itself!_

_Heed my warning and guard this blade, Brother_

_Lucien Lachance,_

_Former Member of the Black Hand,_

_Speaker of the Dark Brotherhood"_

The first thought I had was 'What the hell?" A moment passed and then I thought "Fuck…" I was pretty screwed right now; I couldn't believe what I suspected this blade to be. I got down on my knees and actually prayed to Akatosh that I was wrong. So I was in the middle of the room kneeling in prayer with the sword on the floor before me; the door opened and a pale Renault came in.

I jerked at her entrance and immediately shoved the sword as far away from her as possible. She glanced at the sword but quickly turned her worried and teary eyes to me. She knelt next to me and whispered that we needed to 'talk'. I was even more worried than I was before now…

She and I were now sitting together on the bed as I waited patiently for her to start. Renault sighed and began her part.

"My mother sent word of her surprise and utter disappointment today." I blinked and asked her why they would be disappointed. She looked away and continued, "She was very ashamed that I hadn't told her I had gotten married two weeks ago at the Temple of the One. A servant on an errand recognized me and told their master, who in turn sent word to my mother; she was scandalized and has demanded that I bring my husband so that she may 'see the fool whose heart I captured'."

I was pretty surprised but readily agreed that I should meet her mother. After all, we were basically 'in-laws right now. Renault adopted a troubled look. "But I don't have ring to signify marriage; we didn't even get married that day! It was all a cover story!" she shouted. I stared at her distraught form and reached into my Bag for something I bought a week after I found out she was pregnant. I placed the small velvet box in her lap and waited for her to react. She shakily opened the tiny box and gasped at its contents.

Nestled in white velvet sat a simple ring with a shiny diamond set on it. The ring was inscribed with the words, _"Life is a curious thing"._ She looked at me with wide eyes and I asked, "Is this one good enough? If it isn't, we can get a new one." Renault shook her head frantically as she tried and failed to put the ring on her finger.

I took it gently and got on my knee before her. I gently took left hand and carefully slid the ring on her finger; Renault was staring at me with teary eyes. When I finished she threw herself at me and cried what she later said were happy tears.

* * *

><p>Jauffre had been pleasantly surprised when he spotted Renault's new accessory. The lads and Martin congratulated me and the two ladies quickly ushered Renault to parts unknown. We could hear them gushing and giggling as they left; I blushed as the men made various comments. I pulled Martin and Jauffre to the side and asked, "Martin, as a priest of Akatosh and my friend, I must ask; will you do the honor of presiding over our wedding?" He gasped and nodded frantically; I could tell he felt very honored. I turned to the old man and asked, "Will you stand in for Renault's father, Jauffre."<p>

He smiled brightly and nodded. I turned around and found my blushing fiancée in a elegant, yet simple, white dress made of silk.

_She looked beautiful…_

An hour later we found ourselves standing before Martin as he did the wedding ceremony. Jauffre stood by Renault; he was in his Blade armor and carried an Akaviri Katana in his hand. Apparently in Tamriel, the father of the bride is supposed to carry a weapon to strike down the groom if he tried to run.; the thought never even crossed my mind.

Back to the ceremony; to seal the marriage, Renault and I had to share a glass of wine that we held to each other's lips then kiss at the minister's signal. It was a quiet and pleasant ceremony.

"By the power invested to me by the Nine Divines; I now pronounce you husband and wife!" Martin announced. "May you have a prosperous life and many children to continue your line." He smirked and added, "In addition to the little devil already on its way!" The hall laughed as Renault blushed. I just smiled widely and held her close. Afterwards we had a small feast that was a glorified hazing of the new couple; a Cyrodiilic tradition as well. There was much talking and raunchy jokes all around us; it was a wonderful feeling.

When the feast was finished, Renault was once again whisked away and I was handed a large mug of wine. I glanced at Martin curiously.

"As part of tradition, you must consume all the wine in this mug before you can begin your hunt for your missing bride." I quickly drained the wine and got to my wobbly feet. The men laughed as I stumbled through the compound and up to my bedroom to find Renault.

She was indeed there; she was sitting on our bed, still wearing her wedding dress. She smiled at me and I stumbled over and kissed her deeply. She responded readily and pulled me down to the bed.

* * *

><p>Oww…<p>

Oww…

Oww…

_This was familiar…_

I woke up with a splitting headache and a very sore body. I tried to sit up but a very warm and soft object held me in place; I glanced down and found Renault in all her glory on top of me. I smiled at her and gently adjusted her so I could breathe more easily. She woke up and smiled up at me with a blushing face.

"Well, isn't this familiar to a certain other morning months ago," I muttered at her; she smacked my arm and got up, giving me a wonderful show as she got dressed. Smiling faintly, I got up and followed her after I too got dressed. We found ourselves cheered and congratulated by the Blades and Martin in the Great Hall. I glanced around a found Jauffre sipping on a mug and going over the reports from yesterday.

"Jauffre," I said getting his attention and sitting down next to him. "I need to take a small leave of service for awhile; Renault too." Jauffre nodded and he smirked a little.

"Still calling your wife by her last name?" he teased. I rolled my eyes a whapped the back of his head.

"You know that's her first name, old man" I told him. "She gave up her birth name and adopted a new one when she became a Blade." Jauffre huffed as he rubbed his sore head. He told me that we had a month before we could make a move against the Dawn and be safe during our journey.

As Renault was chatting with Jena and Caroline, I went up and packed every essential item and all our clothes in my Bag. Picking up the Sword, I shivered as I strapped it to my back along my quiver and Bow. I needed to find out the Sword's true capabilities; I was worried it was really what I believed it was.

_Please don't be that sword…Cyrodiil can't take another soul-sucking sword existing here…_

* * *

><p>Renault and I had set off and were currently on our way to Cheydinhal; the weather was nice for once and we decided to adopt a slow pace to make the trip longer and give me time to absorb Renault's family history.<p>

"My mother is Naspia Cosma, Stewardess of Cheydinhal Castle." Renault explained. "She was once a blade-mistress of great renown; she's very strict and disapproved of my dreams as a teenager." Renault's gaze softened as we slowly passed Vilverin; I needed to check out my hideout there pretty soon. "I wanted to be become the Grand Champion of the Arena. I dreamed of hearing the crowd calling the name' Cosma! Cosma!' like they did for Mother."

"She fought in the Arena?" I asked.

"Yes, Mother was once a great Arena fighter. She nearly became Grand Champion before she was dealt a great blow that ruined her career. She faced the Gray Prince and lost badly; he completely overwhelmed her and managed to nearly severe her right arm. She's never been able to lift a blade since."

"So you became a Blade to try and get her approval?" I asked tentatively. Renault hummed neutrally and stopped speaking. I shrugged and enjoyed the beautiful landscape. As we were passing a cluster of boulders, we heard a cr.

"Back off, you bastards!"

We shared a worried glance and spurred our horses toward the origin of the cry. We steered the horses around the boulders and came upon a small family of three under attack by a group of Mythic Dawn agents. The man, an Altmer male, was swinging a long pole around his huddled family; the agents were laughing and jeering at him. We could see that he wasn't hurt, just exhausted. The huddled forms were of a woman and a small child. I heard a growl to my left.

Renault drew her silver longsword and let loose a warcry; she spurred the horse and charged into the fray. I nearly fainted when a spell almost hit her; I let loose a barrage of Fireballs at the agents as I charged down.

Renault was doing great as she cut down the agents below her; at least until they got smart. One skewered her horse and she toppled down. I made a flying leap off my horse and used my wristblade to kill one agent and slashed two others with my elven shortsword. Three kills in the span of three seconds; Altair would be proud.

Renault was helped up by the male Altmer; he didn't have the same pompous bearing of most Altmers. I walked over and checked if she was alright; she waved me off and got up. I fretted over her and she shoved me away saying,

"Arthur I'm fine." We turned and saw the family we saved; they were a surprising sight. The gray-haired Altmer came forward and shook my hand.

"Thank you so much!" he practically gushed. He was really relieved that we rescued them. "I thought that we'd breathed our last breaths when those maroon-robed fiends surrounded us." Renault introduced us, making sure not to give any vital info in case this was a set-up. "A pleasure," he replied. "I'm Arkwed and these two…" he trailed off as he gently guided the woman and child to us. "…is my wife, Affri, and our daughter, Kishni."

Renault and I were speechless at the sight of his wife and child. Arkwed was an Altmer, but his wife Affri was a Khajiit! Arkwed looked confused by our silence but immediately scowled and got in front of his distraught wife.

"Do you have a problem with my wife?" he growled at us. It startled us out of our stupor and Renault quickly placated him.

"By the Nine, of course not!" she said quickly. "We were surprised; that's all!" He didn't settle his stance so I stepped up.

"Yes, we were just shocked by your clear affection," I said. Renault and Arkwed looked confused by my statement. Affri peered curiously from behind her protective husband as she held their daughter close. I could just make out her luminous green eyes from the folds of Affri's cloak.

"What do you mean by that?" the slowly relaxing Altmer asked.

"It's just that we hadn't expected a Khajiit to gain the affections of an Altmer," I began. "Let alone one that didn't have the same arrogant attitude that most have. We really meant no offense…" He finally relaxed and we tried our intros a second time.

"It's alright," Arkwed said to us as he once again pulled his wife beside him. The way he protectively held her left no doubt of his feelings. "As I said before, this is my wife Affri and our daughter Kishni." Affri bowed at us slightly and decided to speak for herself.

"I would like to thank you not only for saving us but also for not having the same prejudice as countless others." She had the typical tan-furred Khajiit rasp to her voice but had a more cultured inflection to her speech. We had now started walking back on the path; our dead horses held no supplies or belongings.

"You're very welcome," Renualt replied. "It would seem hypocritical of me seeing as I'm with this idiot. _*jabs a thumb at me*_ He doeesn't know where he's from or what he is." With that settled, Renault and Affri started talking as they walked a little ahead of both Arkwed and I; we were just enjoying the scenery while our wives talked. That's not to say that we weren't listening in, though.

Presently, they had moved on from talking of the assailants to our destinations. I found out that both our groups were on our way to Cheydinhal.

"Yes, Arkwed recently was given the deed to a small home in the district outside of the town's walls." I had forgotten that not all towns had homes exclusively within the city walls. Some that had outer districts were Anvil, Skingrad, Bravil, Leyawiin, Bravil and of course the Imperial City. I glanced at Arkwed beside me and offered a sheepish shrug in return. I guess he obtained it by less than legal means; probably won it gambling if I had to guess.

"Really?" Renault asked. "Do you know if it's located in the Western or Eastern District?" Affri replied that it was in the Western one. "Oh, then you'll have a pleasant place to live. The Western District is for those moderately well-off and from other regions of Tamriel. Mostly Dunmer and Khajiit live in that district; there are a few Argonians, Imperials and Altmer living there as well." Affri appeared relieved to know the general populace of her future home.

"And the Eastern District…?" Arkwed asked, nearly startling me out of my thoughts on Cheydinhal.

"The Eastern is mostly a merchant district with tradesman from Morrowind. It's noisy almost all day and there are rowdy parties at night; there's also a minor gang in the area if I remember correctly. It's been a few years since I've been home." Renault replied. She told Affri that she had grown up in Cheydinhal Proper and had run amok in the Outer Districts as a child.

I snickered at the image of a ten year old Renault causing mayhem in a market. Apparently she heard me and threw a half-eaten apple at me. I ducked and pouted at her; she smirked and pointedly ignored me. Arkwed was watching us amusedly and Affri was snickering at our antics.

A ruffling sound came from inside Affri's cloak; said woman peeked under and smiled. "It seems that my cub is no longer shy of our companions," she said in a stage-whisper. Renault and I smiled and Arkwed moved up next to his wife. A silvery mop of hair with two small triangular ears popped up from out of the cloak. Renault's breath caught as we observed the girl free herself from the cover of the cloth.

She appeared to be mostly Altmer in appearance; she took after Arkwed greatly. There were a few marked differences though.

Instead of elven ears, she had the ears of a cat and a more wide-eyed gaze that practically glowed in the shadow of her fringe. A small fang was visible from her lips and her Altmer nose twitched like a cats; she even had a silver-furred tail that twitched every so often. The overall features caused a very predictable reaction; Renault squealed and reached out to cuddle the adorable little elf-cub.

Affri gladly let my squealing wife to practically smother the poor child in her arms; luckily the child found it enjoyable instead of scary. She was giggling as Renault cooed at the pure adorableness the kid exuded. Even I was tempted to do the same as her.

"Hello," Renault cooed. "What's your name little one?" The child's luminous eyes shined brightly as she replied,

"Kisssshhh-li," she lisped slightly. Renault giggled as Arkwed and Affri mouthed, 'Kishni' at their daughter. Kishni pouted cutely and tried again; she still lisped it.

"Oh! You're name's Kishni, huh?" Renault said. She and Renault had a very cute talk with the occasional comment from Affri.

"Are you two…?" Arkwed asked tentatively. He gestured at Renault and me.

"Yes, we are," I replied wincing slightly. "Renault and I are on our way to Cheydinhal so I can meet her mother." Arkwed patted my arm in sympathy.

"I know the feeling my friend," he said. "Affri's sire was a very intimidating Khajiit. He was almost as tall as I was and twice as wide at the shoulders. He was very angry that she chose me as her mate over 'a proper male to sire many strong cubs'." Arkwed shrugged. "Luckily I'm a relatively strong mage that's also competent at swordplay. I managed to impress upon him my ability to protect his daughter; though he still took great pleasure in threatening me at the wedding and the mating ceremony."

I chuckled and agreed that his 'sire-in-law' sounded like a scary individual.

* * *

><p>Soon the town of Cheydinhal came into view. It was quite a sight; the outlying districts were a loud and noisy affair that we could hear from miles back. The great gates were open and there was a steady stream of travelers going to and fro.<p>

We were passing through the Western District at a leisurely pace; Renault wanted to guide our new friends all the way to their new home. The District itself was really nice with small vendors every few feet, hawking their wares at people who passed by; to my immense satisfaction, not one person gave the family a second glance.

We came to the district square with a small fountain; there were dozens of people from all races just lounging in the sun. We could see children running around happily. There were a few that seemed like Kishni; they were a mixture of different races. I even spotted a Bosmer-like child with Argonian features!

"The District is indeed diverse thanks to the wonderful Count who rules here. There is very little prejudice that isn't hunted down by the guards; all of whom come from various provinces and races themselves. Quite a few of the guards live in this District as well." Renault explained to the awed parents. Kishni was with me, riding on my shoulders. Her ears and tail were twitching as her green eyes darted at every new sight and sound; I chuckled and we came upon the house.

It was quaint home with two stories but very little yard. The small stone wall was a little worn but simply added to the overall character. It had the typical appearance of other Cheydinhal homes but also had a dash of other cultures in the nooks and crannies. You could tell that Arkwed and Affri were pleased; well Affri was very pleased, Arkwed just stared at it in awe.

"Surprised about your prize?" I muttered to him as our ladies explored the home; Kishni was looking at the small patch of flowers under the front windowsill. He nodded clutched at a sheaf of parchment. Curious, I gestured if I could see the papers; he just handed them to me and sat on the low wall in a daze.

I took a quick look through the papers; there was the deed and the transfer of ownership, though the second one seemed…_messy…_

_I hereby give my home to Arkwed and his family. It was won in a gentleman's bargain and I bequeath note only the home, but the various furnishings and other utilities._

It seemed kind of short, but I hoped that there wouldn't be any problems for them. Renault soon came out with Affri as they talked about the various things in the house. They bade goodbye to each other and Arkwed and Kishni joined Affri in the home. Renault and I made our way out of the District and into Cheydinhal Proper to face Momma Cosma.

_This is gonna be a breeze…I just jinxed it, didn't I?_

* * *

><p><em>And that's the 12<em>_th__ chapter of __**Becoming a Hero**__! It was really long; I couldn't stop myself from writing! Read, Review, and Stay tuned for another chapter!_


	14. Chapter 13 1

_No more screwing around! The next three chapters are actually a long single three part chapter that ends with the successful recruitment of the Bosmer woman from before._

_P.S. For those familiar with the DB quest line, be prepared to be disappointed. There will be a few changes that will drastically alter the outcome of the DB Quest._

_P.P.S. I decided to refine the makeup of my future team. There will be a leader (me), a warrior (Renault), a…quartermaster of sorts, an assassin, and a thief. The mage is no longer part of the main plan and my FG candidate is now going to hate me and love the assassin I got on my team. The mage, she's going to be a supporter; a researcher that hangs around with Martin all the time. Pairings pending reviews by readers._

_And know that Kishni will be making future appearances; she's marked as Essential!_

* * *

><p><em>Anyways, here's an explanation on the Districts:<em>

_In this story, the population of Cyrodiil makes a lot more sense. They'll be plentiful and diverse; they won't be homeless though. Most towns have Outer Districts for the overflow citizens to live. The Outer Districts are usually protected by a large wooden fence with the occasional wood watch tower. Most also have a second or third entrance for efficiency._

_Cheydinhal:_

_Western District – Think of a medieval suburb in the same style as Cheydinhal itself. The main gate of Cheydinhal separates the Western from the Eastern; the main road is a boulevard for travelers. Can be entered from Main Gate boulevard._

_Eastern District – the Merchant district. It has plenty of stalls and small stores for foreign and local merchants. There are a few homes and an inn for people to stay._

_Bruma: too cold for an Outer District; enough said._

_Bravil:_

_Shipping District – a dock that extends all the way around the peninsula Bravil sits upon. Both of Bravil's great doors open to let in merchant ships. The dock hosts two inn/pubs and various warehouses. The towers connected to the two great doors double as lighthouses._

_Leyawiin:_

_A pseudo-District – not truly a district, the small village is close enough to be considered part of Leyawiin but far enough that it can be considered a separate village as well._

_Skingrad:_

_Vineyard District – lies on the eastern pastures of Skingrad. Hosts 2 large vineyards famous throughout Cyrodiil and a small stable._

_Anvil:_

_Docks – the main trade hub between Cyrodiil and the outlying provinces of Tamriel._

_Farming District – a series of farms that provide an eighth of Cyrodiil's produce._

_Imperial City:_

_Waterfront District – the poor section of the Imperial City. Lies just by the docks of the city. Rumored to be the operating center of the Thieves' Guild._

_Bridge District – lies on the island side of the Imperial Bridge. Contains a large inn and a stable, as well as various small homes._

_P.S. I finally got all the days correct! It goes as follows;_

_Sunday – Sundas (Son-Das)_

_Monday – Morndas (Mourn-Das)_

_Tuesday – Tirdas (Tier-Das)_

_Wednesday – Middas (Mid-Das)_

_Thursday – Turdas (Ter-Das)_

_Friday – Fredas (Fre-Das)_

_Saturday – Loredas (Lo-Re-Das)_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Becoming a Hero<strong>_

* * *

><p><em>I hereby give my home to Arkwed and his family. It was won in a gentleman's bargain and I bequeath note only the home, but the various furnishings and other utilities.<em>

It seemed kind of short, but I hoped that there wouldn't be any problems for them. Renault soon came out with Affri as they talked about the various things in the house. They bade goodbye to each other and Arkwed and Kishni joined Affri in the home. Renault and I made our way out of the District and into Cheydinhal Proper to face Momma Cosma.

_This is gonna be a breeze…I just jinxed it, didn't I?_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13<strong>

**Part 1 - We Killed Her…**

* * *

><p>I was shaking in my boots; literally shaking. Right now I'm standing in the childhood home of my new wife; my new mother-in-law is glaring at me. The fireplace at her back and the sunset shining from the window cut a very intimidating silhouette around the woman. You could see where Renault got her glare from.<p>

"_*cough*_…Mother?" Renault timidly spoke. Caspia sent a withering glance at Renault. My brave, brave wife pressed on. "It's wonderful to see you again…?" Then woman snorted as she embraced her daughter; Renault eagerly reciprocated and gestured for me to introduce myself.

"Umm…hello Mrs…umm Lady…? I stuttered as I tried to find the correct title to use. Renault pulled out of the hug and nudged me hard in the ribs. Her mother huffed.

"Enough with the formalities," Naspia growled at me; I immediately stood at attention as she circled me like a cliff racer, prodding me in different places. "Hmm…decent bone structure…a fighter's definition…muscle tone of a swordsman…decent idle posture…" This went on for many moments; Renault relaxed with every positive observation Naspia made. "…good balance…steady stance…" Then the old woman did something truly horrifying; she cupped _me_!

Renault gasped in horror as I yelped and practically leapt behind my mortified wife. Naspia cackled at us. "…packing enough to pleasure…_*hehehe*_"

"MOTHER!" Renault shouted indignantly, going a very deep shade of red; I blushed pretty heavily as well. The hag just smirked and made a few lewd comments.

"Just making sure he can keep you happydear…" she said. Renault was sputtering while I huffed in annoyance.

"I can make her happy, thank you very much," I muttered quietly even though both ladies could hear me. "I can make her practically pass out in joy…" Naspia cackled again and Renault smacked me across the ear.

"ARTHUR!" she shouted. I rubbed my sore ear and snickered at Renault; she was sooo red! You could almost see the steam coming out of her ears.

"Enough dear! He was just trying to prove he was still a man," Naspia rasped, almost too out of breath from her laughter. "Get over here and tell me all about your precious husband." She gestured at a worn but comfy sofa across from the armchair she had sat in. We joined her by the fireplace and Renault trying and failing to tell the tale of our first meeting and subsequent relationship. I could tell Naspia wasn't buying Renault's messy attempt at a cover story so I took over.

"Since Renault can't keep her story straight, let me have a go," I said as Renault slumped into the sofa. Her mother raised an eyebrow and waited for me to start.

"Renault met me in prison," I began. Apparently that was the wrong thing to say as Renault immediately straightened in fright. Naspia on the other hand looked very intrigued. Renault wanted to stop me but I waved her off; I knew what I was doing…

_Mostly…_

"Yeah we met in prison. Renault was escorting an eccentric old coot that saw me in my cell. We started talking and stuff; turns out the crazy old man was dying and wanted to see if he could do one last good deed before he kicked the bucket. Anyways, he and I talked for a good while; Renault looked like she wanted to gut me with her sword the whole time." I told the intrigued woman. Renault just listened as well; technically my story was true but she did glare at me when I called the Emperor an 'eccentric old coot'.

"So he got me talking about why I was in there and found that I was innocent of the crimes I was charged with. He used his influence and got me released but died on the way out of the prison compound. The one consolation is that died with a smile on his face." I told my audience. Naspia thought it seemed oddly convenient while Renault went all teary eyed when she remembered the late Emperor's smiling even in death.

"Really?" Naspia asked.

"Yes really; right now, Renault and I are guarding the old man' son until he regains his inheritance." Naspia still didn't look convinced but accepted the story when she saw Renault's reminiscing face. Accepting the story she asked another question.

"And how did you end up as my daughter's husband," she asked curiously. "I know my daughter well; she isn't the most…_welcoming_ of girls. I can't see you just asking her on a date or her accepting one that easily." Renault blushed and I smiled wickedly; I glanced at my blushing bride as I told the story in great detail.

"We were at the Floated Bloat Inn at the Waterfront." Naspia nodded; she'd been there when it opened. "I had taken dear Renault there as an apology for something I did previously. Anyways, we were having a good time and had a _little_ too much to drink. One thing led to another and I woke up with a killer headache and a beautiful woman at my side; we were both naked and very satisfied." I finished with a lewd grin on my face. Renault buried her eyes in her hands as her mother howled in laughter.

"_*hahahaha*_ M-my da_*haha*_ughter g-got d-_*snicker*_drunk and had sex w-with you?" she sputtered hilariously. I nodded smugly as Renault weakly smacked my arm. This old lady wasn't so bad after all…

"Turns out the ship got hijacked while we were umm…busy and had set out to find some fake treasure." Naspia was still snickering as I continued the story. "We had to save the stolen inn from the Blackwater Bandits; I would've done it half naked when Renault almost refused to leave the bed. She was so embarrassed." I snickered as well in memory.

"And what came out of that night?" the old woman asked.

"Well Renault wouldn't speak to me for a week," I stated. "Afterwards we got into a few adventures and I asked her to marry me when we got your letter." Naspia was doubly intrigued while Renault stiffened; she had been dreading this part.

"You stuck around my daughter, huh? Least you're not the type to spend the night with a woman and leave her in the morning," she stated. Renault sighed in relief; guess her mother thought I was pretty decent. Feeling like it was the right time, I added,

"Of course, the orphanage showed me what happens to kids with dead beat fathers." Renault smacked her forehead at my ill-timed words.

"What do children have to do with you two being… No…" Naspia sputtered for a long minute while Renault smiled triumphantly; Naspia was trying to say a word that started with a 'P'.

"Yes Mother," Renault drawled "pregnant…" Naspia stared at us and keeled over. Renault sat there smirking while I was genuinely worried. The woman wasn't a spring chicken by any means; she still hadn't moved. Renault got up and lightly shook her; Naspia still didn't move. Nonplussed, Renault shook her harder; still no movement. Renault suddenly looked at me with a severely panicked face and yelled, "I think I killed her!"

I was immediately by her side and grabbed Naspia's hand; I gripped her wrist to check her pulse. I was very relieved to find one. Renault was on her feet and frantically pacing, muttering insanely. I just picked up her mother and laid her in her bed upstairs. Renault had stopped pacing and sat at her bedside.

"You know," I stated. "It's all fun and games until you give the old woman a heart attack…" Renault sent the most withering gaze she could at me and said,

"Go get killed or something; see if I care." She was still shocked by her mother's sudden fall; I shrugged. I gave Renault a peck on the cheek and told her I'd be back. I decided to see if I could find something fun to pass the time in Cheydinhal.

_Let's check out the Sanctuary!_

* * *

><p>Cheydinhal is a nice looking town to those seeing it for the first time. The royal purple highlights to the architecture is really soothing, especially with the abundance of lush green plant life. Then you'd have to add in the climbing vines on the town walls and castle to give it that homey feel; it seemed like a wonderful place. That all changes when you spot the one eyesore in the whole town; while Cheydinhal is a lot bigger than the game, you can't mistake the Abandoned House in the shadow of the cathedral at any time. It's a lot scarier in real life; the whole place creaks at the slightest breeze and gives of a plain <em>sinister aura.<em> The way the walls seem to be crumbling in on themselves and the shadow casted over the unkempt grass screams _evil!_ The overall picture just says 'Stay away'.

That's not gonna work on me though; I head to the back and find a window that wasn't boarded up on the second floor. With a running start, I use my agility to scale the wall and pull myself into the decrepit house. The whole place is covered in dust with one exception; the front door has a clear path to the basement door. I hopped down a hole to the first floor and went into the basement. The musty air and near-pitch black basement was very eerie and gave me the chills. I walked through the room and tripped twice over the damned broken crates on the floor; it's mortifying to think that I'm an assassin and can't navigate over pieces of wood without falling down…

I found the door to the Sanctuary; it was _reeeeaaaally creepy…_ There were blood stains on the floor and the door looked like it had been painted in blood as well; it probably was…

Funnily enough, the door had no handle; it did however have a handprint-shaped indent around head height. Since I had no clue what to actually do, I placed my hand in the indent and channeled a bit of magicka into it.

_**What…is the color…of night?**_

I'm ashamed to admit that I screamed like little girl and jerked away from the door. For a few moments, I just stood there panting as I steadied my thumping heart. Then the door repeated the question. Seeing as it sounded vaguely pissed at the third repetition, I quickly said, "S-sanguine my brother?" Nothing happened at first, but then I heard the door whisper,

_**Yeeessss…**_

It swung open and a gloved hand grabbed me; I was yanked in and everything went black.

_Crap…_

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter 13: Part 1 – I Think We Killed Her…<em>


	15. Chapter 13 2

_This is the second part of the first TRUE chapter of the Recruitment Arc; the prior ones were build up/hype chapters… Yeah that was bullshit…_

_Truth: I kept trying to find a suitable way to introduce the first member and nothing came up. I ended up with the mother-in-law and DB Questline…_

_But I'm not gonna be following the quest myself, it's the Bosmer I'm gonna recruit. She'll follow a Bruma-based DB Questline and will end up as (CENSORED!). I am gonna be fairly low-ranked compared to her because I don't do many contracts…_

_As stated prior, there will be no FG member and the Mage Guild member will be a researcher/enchanter for the group. The Thief will be coming up after Baurus finishes his investigations. The quartermaster is a glorified armorer and smith; they'll mainly hang around in Cloud Ruler…_

* * *

><p><em>SPOILER!<em>

_I'm gonna add in special quests concerning my teammates that will secure their loyalty and grant great benefits to the group as a whole. This is the same basic idea of the Mass Effect Team Member Quest – thingies…_

_P.S. Kishni is very important to the Shivering Isles Arc!_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Becoming a Hero<strong>_

* * *

><p>I'm ashamed to admit that I screamed like little girl and jerked away from the door. For a few moments, I just stood there panting as I steadied my thumping heart. Then the door repeated the question. Seeing as it sounded vaguely pissed at the third repetition, I quickly said, "S-sanguine my brother?" Nothing happened at first, but then I heard the door whisper,<p>

_**Yeeessss…**_

It swung open and a gloved hand grabbed me; I was yanked in and everything went black.

_Crap…_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13<strong>

**Part 2 – So Scary He Shit Himself…**

* * *

><p>"What do we do with him Sister?" a loud voice asked; sounded Orcish to me. I could hear others whispering quietly as great lumbering footsteps paced around me. There were two other sets as well; one light with a clumping sound that leather made. The other was a padding sort of step with a subtle swishing sound along with it; probably robes or a cloak.<p>

"We shall find the answer to that and our other questions now that he is awake," a cultured voice stated; sounded like Vincente Valtieri. Guess I'm in the hands of the Dark Brotherhood…

Moving my mouth was like unsticking my jaw after it was glued together. "Ughh, what hit me?" I mumbled as I observed the group around me. There stood Vincente before me in all his cultured glory; he was dressed in a gold and black outfit and Ebony Boots with a very ornate Ebony Longsword at his side. An Argonian female I assumed was Ocheeva stood at my left in the leather armor of the Brotherhood; she had a silver dagger to my throat. The Orc (I couldn't remember his name…) stood in full Orcish Armor and he was leaning lightly on his Ebony Battleaxe.

To my right with a Destruction spell hovering in his furry palm was M'raaj Dar. He was not the typical tan-colored Khajiit; he had speckled gray fur like a panther and a wicked scar on the left portion of his muzzle. His green robes were the standard with a key difference; instead of a satchel at his side, a shrunken head of some sort hung on a rope.

I could hear various others shuffling behind, maybe three or four others; seems that the developers forgot a few members…

"You are in the presence of the Dark Brotherhood, my white robed friend," Vincente eloquently said. The guy was seriously awesome when he talked; he made you feel like you got smarter with every word he uttered. "Somehow you knew the password and opened the door to our Sanctuary. Explain and you'll survive a little longer. Refuse and die a most agonizingly slow death…" Okay, that would suck…

"I…_*gurk*_" I tried to start explaining when Ocheeva dug her dagger slightly into my throat. I could feel a slight sting; she must've nicked me.

"I would appreciate if you would consider your…_predicament_ before speaking." She muttered; her tongue lightly scrapped my left ear and her breath was hot on my neck. I felt seriously turned on and was disgusted by it; I'm married! Renault would castrate me with a soggy wooden spoon! "Remember; we can smell your _lies!_" she whispered sexily; this was so wrong…

Shaking away the lewd thoughts she inspired, I explained why I was here. "Okay, I'm going out on a limb and say that Lachance didn't mention a potential Brother in white robes that had yet to complete his Initiation?" At their tentative nods, I frantically gestured my restrained arms at my outfit; a set of white assassin robes… Seeing their speculative looks and Vincente's amused one I added, "I was supposed to kill Rufio but I got a little sidetracked…"

"For three months?" Vincente inquired. I shrugged.

"You try being attacked by seriously incompetent assassins when you're sent on a mission by a dead Emperor to find his lost son and save Tamriel from certain destruction; we'll see who has the free time to kill some old guy hiding at the Inn of Ill Omen," I ranted. Vincente raised a single eyebrow and stood waiting for my explanation. I sighed…

"Basically I'm on a mission given to me by the late Uriel Septim. I have to guard his lost son from the Mythic Dawn, who by the way make very pathetic assassins, and make sure that a Daedric Prince doesn't rip open a portal into Cyrodiil, bringing legions of daedra in an epic invasion." I sigh and add in, "not to mention I knocked up the Captain of Uriel's personal Blade guard and she's sitting a few houses away with her mother who fainted when she discovered that my new wife is pregnant."

Vincente chuckled while M'raaj Dar sputtered indignantly. "Surely you don't believe this ape Vincente?"

"Of course I do," he replied. He loosened my bindings and helped me up from the chair. "I've had reports from our surviving Brothers and Sisters from Kvatch about a man in white robes who banished the daedra back to Oblivion. They said that he and a woman bearing his progeny left soon after with the local priest." I thanked him as Ocheeva returned my weapons and my Bag. I'm glad I left most of my crap, including that Sword in it and that it doesn't do anything special for anyone other than me.

"So," I asked. "Anything else you wanted to know?" Vincente nodded.

"Yes, how did you know the password?" he inquired while the Orc lifted his axe to his shoulder. He patted it, suggesting silently that I answer any question I was asked. I shrugged and pulled out a little slip of paper that came with the Sword that I had forgotten about. I gave it to Vincente. It read,

_Even if Rufio still lives, I welcome you to visit your new family in Cheydinhal. There is a door in the basement of the abandoned home under the shadow of the cathedral. When asked, "What is the color of night?" answer, "Sanguine, my Brother"._

_The door shall open and welcome you into the Night Mother's dark embrace._

"Ah, Lucien waived your Initiation in favor of a gift of some sort; am I correct?" Vincente asked. I nodded slightly. "I trust it is less of a gift and more of ill-begotten and much unwanted assignment to safeguard an item of questionable origins?" I nodded again at his awesome intuitive skills and he sighed. "He tends to do this; many of his predecessors did the same; there was always one recruit who was given a different task instead of fulfilling a contract. It's quite annoying to say the least…"

"Hmph," M'raaj Dar scoffed. "Just like Lachance to flaunt hundreds of years of tradition…" He left, muttering about 'foul-smelling apes' and their 'troublesomeness'.

"Oh, that's not good; want me to kill Rufio anyway?" I asked. Flaunting hundreds of years of tradition was something I did on Morndas; today was Fredas… Ocheeva left us as well saying that she had some paperwork to fill out. As she turned away however, she used her flexible tale to give my arse a sharp whip. I yelped and rubbed the affected area. She smirked at me and Vincente rolled his eyes; I shuddered at her leering gaze and retreating (and swaying) behind.

"If it's not an inconvenience; our client has been most distraught over Rufio's continued existence for some time." Vincente told me. I shrugged and the Orc, Gogron, came running toward us with a panicked look on his face. He whispered something to Vincente who gained a queer look; He turned and asked, "Is your wife a Breton woman with green eyes wearing Mithril Armor?"

_Uh oh…_

"Umm, pregnant; probably towards the end of her first trimester?" I asked; Vincente nodded. Crap… "She's pissed, isn't she…"

"She seemed quite…" Vincente seemed at a loss for a word to describe my wife.

"Peeved, Mad, Angry, Psychotic, Insanely Pissed off?" I lent helpfully. He snapped his fingers in agreement.

"Yes; she had been wandering the town and the outer districts in a most _angry_ manner. Teineeva says that she's been asking around for a, umm, 'inconsiderate arse of a man in white robes' for the past two days."

"Wait, I've been out for two days!" I practically screamed; Renault was gonna kill me. Vincente nodded indifferently. I gripped my hair in panic; Renault was gonna murder me, blame it on my own stupid arse, and then she'd get some necromancer to bring me back and make me clean up the mess…

Vincente told Gorgon to keep an eye on her progress before turning back to me. He nodded and went back up into the house for watch duty.

"Since you're likely to be indisposed once your wife finds you, might I suggest leaving Cheydinhal tonight and complete these two contracts along with the execution of Rufio?" Vincente handed me two scrolls. One was for the captain of the pirate ship at the Waterfront and the other was for a Bosmer in Bruma. Each listed the targets' schedule, eating habits, preferred dishes, etc. I nodded and prepped for my missions.

I sat in the main area of the Sanctuary planning out each of the hits in detail. I needed the shortest routes between each location, the minimum equipment I would need, the confirmed profiles of the targets demise, my method of entry and egress, and most importantly, the method of execution.

Rufio would be the easy one. I'll just walk down, slit his throat and walk out; I'll bribe the innkeeper if I have to. The Pirate Captain would be even easier; I'd just snipe him from afar with a bow or lob a vial of an exploding poison into his cabin. The Bosmer was the harder one; the house was located in the third-most well-guarded towns in Cyrodiil and the Nord was supposed to be a baresark from Skyrim… Need to be extra sneaky for that one.

I was so excited since this was technically the first assassination missions I'd ever been on. I was armed and ready to go when Gogron came running at me; he actually looked much too pale for an orc…

"Y-you! Get your sorry carcass over here!" he cried as he grabbed me by my robes and dragged me to the door. "That crazy woman in mithril armor is banging on the front door calling for her 'good-for-nothing husband'." I was pleasantly surprised; the only way Renault would know where the Sanctuary was is if she found someone who saw me enter (likely) or threatened the location out of the Count himself (even more likely).

"How angry is she?" I wondered out loud. Gogron, looked at me and muttered,

"Angry enough that I need a change of pants." I had been ignoring the smell in case it was just his natural odor. I wanted to both laugh and cry; Renault was pissed enough to make a cold-blooded orcish assassin shit himself. Hell hath no fury like a _pregnant_ woman's scorn…

Gogron dragged me all the way through the basement and literally threw me into the dusty house; I could hear him locking and barricading the basement door.

_That chicken-blooded, lily-livered, son of a bitch! He locked the bloody door!_

* * *

><p>I got up and dusted myself off; unfortunately (very unfortunately) I noticed a very scary sight. Casually leaning on the wall behind me was Renault; she was idly cleaning a good deal of blood from her left gauntlet with a rusty dagger with a very jagged edge. To make matters worse most of her armor was bloodstained and she was humming a funeral dirge; scared me shitless, she did. To try and break the awkward and terrifying silence I greeted her.<p>

"H-h-hi R-r-renault," I stuttered; she glanced at me like I was a shit-stain on the ass of a retarded beggar, or whatever the Tamrielic equivalent was… "Umm, here I am? …how are you?"

She pushed herself away from the wall and took very slow steps toward me. "Not bad; not bad at all." She replied; smiling like she knew a very dirty secret. "Well enough considering that my husband all but DISAPPEARED FOR TWO BLOODY DAYS!" she yelled. She delivered a wicked strong punch to my gut and threw me at the table _on the other side of the room._

I crashed through the table and tried to get up. That bloody hurt… She wasn't done yet; she dropped kick me back down and straddled me. Now if I wasn't in so much pain, this would be a lot sexier and a whole lot more fun. "I damn near tore apart most of Cheydinhal looking for you! I thought that you had been captured, or worse, killed by those Mythic Dawn bastards!" She had me by the collar and kept smacking my shoulder; I guess she liked my face too much to damage it. Lucky me…

"But here I find that you were with the DARK BRO-THER-HOOD of all people!" she emphasized each word/syllable with a powerful shake. "Do you know how worried I've been! Well? Do you?" She screamed. I was gonna go deaf from the close proximity of her shouts.

Then she did the one thing I've been half expecting; she broke down and cried. She collapsed against me as she sobbed, "I th-thought th-that y-you were _dead!_ I th-thought I'd have to r-raise this ch-child _alone!_" She pounded me on the chest once for each word. "I thought you left me alone!" Pregnant women and their hormones…

_*sigh*_ "I'm not gonna leave you; well I kinda have to leave you for a bit, two weeks tops…" I muttered; Renault glared at me and said,

"Way to kill the mood…" I blushed and apologized. "Fine; first convince me that you're not going to ditch the woman you knocked up and I'll consider giving you a week and a half for me to catch up with my mother; you know, a little bonding time between her and I…" That was reasonable.

"Ok, here are my reasons: Reason one…" I started but Renault slapped me lightly; mumbling 'idiot'.

"Not convince me; _convince_ me…" she muttered as she nuzzled my neck. Oh…ok_*perverted smile*_

_*hehehe* As I said before; pregnant women and their hormones…_

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter 13: Part 2 – So Scary He Shit Himself…<em>


	16. Chapter 13 3

_Here's the third part of Chapter 13; it's a bit longer than the previous two and features the recruitment of the assassin._

_For imagery, here's a summarized description of her:_

_Roughly 5'5" tall, brown eyes, waist-length dark brown hair, bronze-ish tan, early 20's_

_She dresses in shortened leather greaves (knee-length with leather knee pads), leather boots, finger-less elbow-length glove on left hand, finger-less wrist-length glove on right._

_Long-sleeved white shirt, left sleeve tucked into glove, no right sleeve._

_Uses an Elven Longbow and Steel Arrows; an elven dagger is strapped to her right calf._

_Bubbly personality, klutzy when not on missions, considers me 'senior assassin' and will ask me questions about various methods assassination whenever we're at Cloud Ruler Temple. _

_Has a crush on Jauffre…(__**Inspiration©'s idea…**__) __WILL__ be subject to change…_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Becoming a Hero<strong>_

* * *

><p>"Not convince me; <em>convince<em> me…" she muttered; nuzzling my neck. Oh…ok_*perverted smile*_

_*hehehe* I'm awesome!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13<strong>

**Part 3 – Feeling the Ol' Ball-and-Chain… **

* * *

><p>I…<em>convinced <em>her and got us back to her mother's house; lucky thing too, I could hear the Sanctuary inhabitants banging on the basement door, yelling 'Keep it down you rutting dogs!' and 'Now we'll have to burn the whole building!' I felt a bit smug that we were loud enough to be heard all the way down there.

Anyways, now I'm cutting across Lake Rumare using a WaterWalking spell, Sea Stride, every five minutes. The Rumare is a very calm body of water that's very dangerous due to its inhabitants. There are thousands of schools of slaughterfish, packs of water dreugh, and surprisingly enough, a mysterious lake monster. I hadn't believed Renault at first but she showed me evidence of the creature by the claw marks on the various ships that sailed in. It was quite an eye-opener…

Speaking of the lake monster; I noticed something pretty big following me underwater. It kept a good distance away and it never surfaced for more than a moment. I pulled out my Elven Shortsword in my right hand and made sure the Detect Life Kvatch Shield on my left was secure; if this thing attacked, I wanted to be ready. To my immense relief, nothing happened. I made it to the Old Bridge safely and now travelled along the road to the Inn of Ill Omen. I passed Pell's Gate and saw a young Bosmer woman stalking away from the small town carrying a wrapped parcel while yelling at an old man behind her. Guess she's a little pissed at him over something. I waved as I jogged passed and she shot me a measuring glance. I shrugged and sped up; I was nearly to the Inn.

I got to the Inn just as the moons hit their zeniths. The Inn was definitely an 'ill omen'; it had a very disturbing aura of hopelessness and seemed to project ill intent. Bad luck seemed to be the overall and very cliché theme; there were literally dozens of black cats on the roof and benches and I could see a broken mirror hanging on the stable's support beam. All you needed was a ladder resting right over the entrance for it to be an Inn of Ill Cliché's…

I nodded to the solemn Imperial forester practicing his archery on a marked hay bale. He wore what I would later learn was the official uniform of the forester legion. He had a modified leather cuirass; it had a seal of some sort on the metal pauldrons. It lacked armor on the upper arms and the leather gloves he wore had built in elbow pads. The chest and abdominal sections had a few straps and buckles to adjust it according to the wearer. He wore standard green pants and his leather boots had steel plates on the toe and some sort of metal ankle supports; a midway-combo between leather boots and iron boots. He was using a Steel Bow and a quiver of Steel Arrows and had a Steel Shortsword at his hip.

I got inside the Inn itself and was greeted by the surprisingly gloomy Nordic owner. "Hail…" he droned dully. "Wha' can I get fer ya, traveler…?" He was a very sullen man and had dark bags under his eyes. I tossed thirty septims on the counter and nodded aggressively at the trapdoor. He nodded and tossed me a key and a bruised apple. Buffing the apple to see if it was edible, I dropped down into the Private Wing of the Inn. It dark, dank and a few rats (small ones) were running along the rafters. I unlocked the door to the first room and tossed the duffel bag I had for appearances on the moldy bed; a cloud of dust erupted from the sheets. Disgusted, I decided to get rid of Rufio now and make it seem like he attacked me or something' I would not stay here for the night, no sir!

I stalked over to Rufio's room and made myself appear menacing and deadly; it was surprisingly easy when you use a mild Demoralize spell. The spell doesn't come from your hand, in actuality it radiates from your entire body; causing everyone around you varying levels of discomfort and fear. Then you factor in the weapons I was carrying and the cowl that shadowed most of my face; I looked pretty bad-ass.

I banged on Rufio's door with a gloved fist; he didn't answer. Sighing, I checked to see if it was unlocked and it was. I peered inside and saw Rufio asleep on his bed; it was cleaner than mine… He was muttering in his sleep; I stalked closer and listened.

"_Should have let me done it…"_

"_Didn't have to fight…"_

"_Would have felt good in the end…"_

I remembered one crucial detail about the old man; he had presumably raped someone and killed them… I decided to kill the bastard slowly and painfully; I would show him no mercy and plenty of justice. I stalked up to him and yanked out a bottle of the most painful and slowest acting poison I had; it was made from concentrated liquefied fire salts and powdered daedroth teeth. It would feel like pure lava was running like sludge through his veins.

I jerked the covers off of him in one fell swoop; he woke up and would have screamed had I not punched his throat quickly. He made a gurgling sound and grasped his neck tightly; I uncorked the bottle and held his mouth open as I upended the entire vial into his gullet. I covered his mouth with one hand and pinned him with my other; he thrashed wildly as he tried to scream. Once I was sure that the poison had burned his vocal cords I removed my hands as he rolled off the bed. He started crawling to the door and I pulled out my shortsword and stabbed his leg; pinning him to the flagstone floor. He screamed soundlessly as I took out another vial of the same poison and drizzled it on his back and head, leaving trails of literal fire.

I watched as the bastard burned and thrashed in pain; it lasted five minutes. All that was left of the old man was his charred skeleton and bits of burnt meat. I heard someone coming down the ladder and hid myself behind the open door, making sure to grab my blade. The innkeeper and the forester came charging in; the Nord shouted in dismay while the forester pulled out his shortsword. The owner left quickly while the Imperial searched the room for me. I quietly pulled out a very potent Drain/Damage Fatigue poison and tossed it at his feet. The man gasped as a cloud of gas rapidly rose and engulfed him. He collapsed with a 'thud' and I made my way out, leaving a trademark; a signature if you will.

I stabbed an Elven Dagger into the flagstones next to the burnt corpse. The dagger was fairly normal in appearance but carried a potent, one-time-use curse. The next person who picked it up would receive a burst of Frenzy; causing them to attack anyone in sight for an hour at the most. I grabbed my duffel and went up into the Inn.

"Did you see what happened to the old man in the room next to yours?" the innkeeper asked. I turned and saw him with a large mug of strong smelling ale. He was trembling slightly.

"Just the screams and the smell of burnt flesh…" I growled and left. Confident that he didn't see my face completely, I left on a Roan horse tied to the support beam. I headed as fast as I could to the Rumare shore; I'd WaterWalk all the way to the Waterfront.

_No monster attacks for me please!_

* * *

><p>It was daybreak when I sat nursing a cup of honeyed apple tea at the Bloated Float Inn. Ornil recognized me from before and asked me about Renault. I told him that she was visiting her mother and that I was here on 'business'; he dropped the subject.<p>

"Ornil," I muttered to the owner. He glanced over and sat next to me. "Keep the guards here rowdy and happy for the night; drinks and food are on me." He nodded and I handed him a sack of gold. There was two thousand septims in there. "Keep the change." I muttered and left the Inn.

I discreetly examined the pirate ship and saw that the crew was constantly on patrol; the Dunmeri woman was the First Mate and she ran a tight ship; she also wore _very tight pants_… I gotta stop looking; I'm married! I really feel the proverbial 'ball-and-chain' right now.

I pulled out a fishing rod from my Bag (awesome thing; this Bag…) and casted the line; there were a few bites that I halfheartedly pulled in. I ended up with a few small slaughterfish and some other fish I couldn't identify. I kept them in a large bucket I found on the dock as I waited and watched the crew. But before any of you think I'm stupid; know that I changed out of my robes and into a pair of sack cloth pants, leather boots and a small hunter's vest. It was a simple ensemble that allowed me to blend in.

Hours passed and I caught dozens of fish. I let most of them go and kept the nice ones; a few people came up and bought a few of them from me which I was glad to sell.

* * *

><p>Night came and I readied myself. I got rid of the vest and pulled out a woven green scarf I traded five bright red fish for; I wrapped it around my lower face to disguise myself and dove into the water. I stayed under the whole time as I made my way to the ship using a <span>Waterbreathing<span> spell. I gripped the ship's metal reinforcement beams and hoister myself up. I made sure I had a good grip as I shimmied and swung my way to the back of the ship; I was lucky no one spotted me. I had a close call when a sailor leaned over to dump a bucket of some foul-smelling gunk overboard but he didn't spot me.

I dropped onto the balcony and peered stealthily through the window into the captain's cabin; I saw him eating dinner while the hot Dunmeri First Mate was telling him something. I pressed my ear against the door to hear their conversation…

"_The cargo is secure in the lower hold and we've restocked with enough supplies to get us to Hammerfell." The woman said. I could hear the captain's atrocious table manners; he was chewing loudly and slurping his drink._

_**Wasteful…**_

"_Very good; knew I could count on you," he grunted. I heard the scrapping of wood on wood and footsteps. He had gotten up and was making his way to the woman. "Now then, why don't I show you my appreciation, my dear?" He sounded like he was leering at her._

_I heard a very loud 'smack' and the woman started cursing at the old man._

"_Back off!" she shouted. I heard the man bodily hit the floor. "I'm the First Mate, not your personal whore!" I could hear the man get up and muffled shouts. The sounds of struggling soon disappeared and the sound of rustling cloth appeared._

"_Get Off, you s'wit!" I heard her yell. Next came a dull, meaty thud and she fell silent. Fearing the worst, I peered in and saw the captain on the bed on top of the unmoving First Mate; He was trying to undo her clothes. He currently had her shirt and bra off and was working on her pants._

Enraged, I pulled out my trump card; it was a strong Open scroll. I activated it and the door unlocked with a quiet click. I pulled out a throwing knife coated in a poison made of harrada and spiddal sticks. I took careful aim but the woman woke up. She started thrashing around, cursing the captain in both Cyrodiilic and a Dunmeri dialect; it threw off my aim but I knew it was still possible. I waited then threw the dagger with a quick snap of my wrist; the knife was lodged in the upper back of the captain who slumped over dead. The woman threw him off and saw me on the balcony. She grabbed a shirt off the floor and pulled it on.

"Thanks," she said and a banging sound came from the door. We heard voices behind it.

"_Captain, is everything alright; we heard a shout."_

"_The First Mate was in there with him."_

"_Think the captain stopped beating around the bush?"_

"_If he did, then we'll soon get our turns; it's why he hired her in the first place…"_

The woman became angry at the revelation and drew her cutlass; she was ready to try and slaughter the lot of them. I grabbed her arm and shook my head at her; they'd kill her, and more importantly, me. She protested as I dragged her out the door and into the water below. She sputtered indignantly and I shushed her as the pirates entered the room; we could hear their shouts as we floated below the balcony. Thinking fast, I decided to hell with stealth and lobbed the planned exploding potion into the cabin. The rear end of the ship was set ablaze and the pirates in the cabin were incinerated.

"Follow me," I whispered to her and snuck around the giant stone wall to the houses of the slums. She followed quietly and we hid in the shadows of the great barrier. The surviving crew was trying to put out the blaze. I gestured for the woman to be quiet as I pulled my wristblade from my Bag. A Nordic crew member (don't care what his name was) came around the wall with his cutlass out; good, I can say it was self defense when I get rid of him. With his back to me, I put on the wristblade and tackled the Nord to the ground; I shoved the blade into the back of his head.

_He didn't make a single sound…_

The First Mate tossed me her cutlass; I caught it and parried the sword of another pirate that tried to sneak up on me. He slashed repeatedly and blocked any strike I attempted; he was clearly a skilled swordsman. I could see the guards running from the lighthouse and knew I had to get away now. The next slash was the pirate's last; I slide the cutlass passed his own and skewered him to the tree behind him. The guards were shouting at me now that they were just a dozen feet away; thinking quickly I grabbed the woman and held the cutlass to her neck.

"Halt criminal!" the nearest guard shouted; there were seven in all. They drew their swords and bows; glaring at me hatefully. They knew I could easily kill the woman if they got to close. She was hissing a few very clever curses and insults at me.

"You traitorous son of a…" I silenced her with an increase in pressure on her neck.

"Sheathe your weapons," I told the guards; I used a minor localized Light spell on my eyes. The ominous glow freaked them out and they quickly obeyed. I whispered an apology to the woman; she shivered for some reason, probably the cold… I shoved her and the sword at the guards and took off on top the water; throwing a really bright and short-lived area Demoralize spell at them. The cries of fear and the roaring flames were beacons in the night.

* * *

><p>Seven days later, I find myself going through a mandatory security check in Bruma by Captain Burd. Apparently there was an assassination attempt on the local priest; they failed thanks to patron that had fallen asleep in the cathedral. They saw the assassin sneak in and called the guards. The assassin escaped and was still hiding in Bruma.<p>

By the way, my mission here was rendered null; the _idiot_ Bosmer choked on an apple slice and died… Do you know how much this sucks? So I'm currently stuck in Bruma because no one's allowed to enter or leave until they find the assassin. There are a dozen guards in alternating shifts morning and night; no one was leaving. Renault was back at Cloud Ruler; her mother woke up and is utterly ecstatic at the thought of a grandchild to spoil. She now hates me by the way… She calls me an unfeeling bastard that's never around when her poor daughter needs me…

I've been sending messages to Renault and Jauffre via a very smug Arcturus. He's been trying to hit on Renault while I'm not around but luckily Jena and Caroline like me more than the bastard; they've been keeping Renault company for me. Back to the security checks; they're mandatory for everyone and can happen at any time. Captain Burd's been a pain-in-the-arse and is desperate to find his culprit. The process is uncomfortable at best and plain invasive at worst.

The guards take you aside and strip search you for any suspicious items. They always ask me where I get the piping hot food and I always say it's a secret; Cpt. Burd doesn't complain since Jauffre asked (and Renault ordered) me to assist him in any way possible. So far I've just been getting him warm meals and searching the town with his men. It's been a boring five days since I got to Bruma and I really wish that Baurus would hurry up his job in the IC…

* * *

><p>It's ten at night and I'm sitting on top of the smithy. I got drafted into the night watch and I got dumped with the worst job; stationary watchman. I have to stay in one spot and watch for any activity. The downside is that it's snowing pretty hard and I can't pace or start a fire to stay warm. I have to be a 'noble sentinel keeping a silent vigil over the town'.<p>

I'm lucky as hell that I'm wearing not only my assassin robes, but also a heavy grey cloak and a scarf Renault actually _knitted_ for me; _knitted!_ So I'm pretty warm and have to dry off with a really weak Flame Touch spell every so often. I'm so gonna kill this asshole if I find him.

"Stop Criminal!" The shout came from behind the cathedral. They were most likely coming around and would end up going towards the Tap &Tack. I leapt from roof to roof as I spotted a grey figure practically dancing on the snow away from their pursuers. Whoever they were, they were good; they dodged arrows gracefully. No way could a man do those maneuvers; it had to be a woman.

I leapt off the 'For Sale' house and tackled the presumably female culprit to the ground. She yelped and we wrestled in the snow. She was feisty to be sure; she screamed and scratched at me, she even managed to nearly gouge out my left eye.

"Hold her Arthur!" came the voice of Cpt. Burd. I managed to pin her face down into the icy ground and tied her up using a section of my torn cloak. NO way was I gonna use the scarf that my psychotic wife knit for me… Seeing as the situation really called for it, I did the one thing I always wanted to do; I read my captive's nonexistent Miranda Rights:

"You have the right to remain silent; anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law…" I did the whole thing and I noticed that Cpt. Burd was copying it down word for word. I glanced questioningly at him and he shrugged.

We drug the woman into the prison and shoved her in a cell. Burd thanked me and asked if I wanted the honor of interrogating her; I accepted and shoved the hood she wore back.

It was the Bosmer girl from before…

"No wonder I couldn't get away," she shouted when she saw me. "I wouldn't've been able to escape you!" She pouted while Cpt. Burd asked me if I knew her.

"Yes," I sighed. "She helped out the Blades and I previously." Seeing as attempted murder gets 10 years imprisonment at best and execution at worst, I felt that I should try to help her out since she did help us before. "Captain," I asked Burd. "Do you mind if I talk to her in private?" He shrugged and walked out, closing the heavy wooden door behind him.

"So," the Bosmer girl muttered. "How deep in the shit am I?" I shrugged.

"Was the priest a contract or an informant?" I asked her. Depending on her answer, I could get her free.

"Client actually," she told me. "I was supposed to meet him privately and negotiate the contract. It's what low-rankers like me are supposed to do." I nodded in understanding. The Dark Brotherhood didn't actually have a secret and efficient way of gaining contracts; the Black Sacrament signaled the Night Mother. She would then tell her Listener who would convey the request to the appropriate Speaker. The Speaker then would hand out an assignment to the most senior member of their Sanctuary who would assign the mission to a lower member. That member would then meet the client in secret to negotiate the contract.

"What you should have done was come in plain clothing during the day and asked the priest to speak in private," I explained to the suddenly avid listener. "It would have been discrete and unsuspicious. Lots of young women will go to a priest for advice; it would have been a commonplace interaction between a frightened girl and the noble priest." The girl nodded while seemingly taking mental notes. She asked what would happen now and I replied,

"Now I go make up a story that will get you free and you will report your failure to your superior… What's your name anyways?"

"It's Maren," she answered. I thought that it was an odd name for a Bosmer; 'Maren' was Nordic. I left the room and sought out Burd.

"Burd!" I called out to him; he came over from the bar he sat at.

"What is it? Did you get her to confess?" he asked eagerly; Bruma is a very quiet town and Burd was used to the hustle and bustle of the Imperial City. Crime was almost nonexistent in Bruma.

"Actually, this has been a big misunderstanding," I told him reluctantly. He asked how it could be when we had a solid witness. "What was she wearing when the beggar spotted her in the cathedral last week?"

"A grey cloak and hood," Burd answered instantly. "Just like the one she was captured in."

"Yup, and what do young women do when they go see a priest that is wide awake at almost midnight? The priest seemed as if he was waiting for someone; according to your report that is." Burd nodded thoughtfully, he was considering my false explanation.

"So?" he asked gruffly. I sighed and signaled a female guard over to us. She was an older woman in her mid-thirties. She saluted us both.

"Miss," I asked kindly. "What do young woman do when they need to see a priest privately and away from prying eyes and sharp ears?" She looked at me quizzically and her eyes widened in realization.

"They usually go to the priest if they did something…_scandalous_…and are afraid of the 'little present' afterwards," she whispered to us. Burd almost toppled in shock. The woman blushed softly and pointedly looked away from us. "Sometimes they'll go to the priest if they want to escape a metaphorical prison of their own making."

I thanked her and she left quickly. I glanced at the enlightened Cpt. Burd. "So," I quipped. "Now do you understand what happened?"

"Well, how do you explain her elegant maneuvers when evading my guards earlier?" Burd practically shouted at me. I rubbed my now-ringing ear.

"She's a young, flexible Bosmer girl who hails from the Imperial City, the Waterfront to be precise," I explain. "She had to develop certain _talents_ in order to survive." Burd seemed to understand what I was trying to hint.

"So," he muttered embarrassingly. "This was just one giant screw-up…" I patted his shoulder and went to free Maren.

* * *

><p>"So now what?" Maren asked me. She had met with the lead member of the DB Sanctuary; it was, to my immense surprise, located in an Ayleid ruin up in the Jerall Mountains. He took one look at her and started pounding his head on his desk. He glared at her and started ranting about the sheer incompetence she displays in frighteningly consistency. And to my immense displeasure and misfortune, he demoted her to a glorified intern (an apprentice assassin) and assigned her to me; apparently, rumored experience beats DB contract assignments…<p>

"Now we go see my wife," I replied as we were climbing up the steep path to Cloud Ruler. "Hopefully she doesn't maim me permanently…" I muttered then an epiphany hit me; I have an apprentice a.k.a. duty-bound meat shield! I turned to the too-happy Maren. "Your task is to take any hits my wife throws at me!" I declared.

Maren stumbled in shock and tried to argue. "What are you, a coward? Go and take it like a man!" she yelled at me. I tutted and patted her head.

"Silly apprentice, have you forgotten what Ol' Furry-Fist told you?" I said in a playful voice. MAren pouted when she remembered the old Khajiit's orders,

_I don't care what the man tells you to do; By Sithis, you do every little task he sets before you or you'll be delegated to privy duty until Sithis himself declares you free!_

She grumbled and acquiesced to my order. "Oh, and no using weapons to block, parry or counter Renault's attacks," I practically sang. Maren screamed and chased after me as I pranced up the stairs and into the Great Hall. Cyrus and Pelagius were on watch and waved to me in greeting. They did chuckle at the young Maren's plight.

"Arthur!" Cyrus yelled. "She a stalker or an adoring fan?" Pelagius laughed at the idea.

"Nope!" I cried back at them. "An apprentice!" They glanced at each other and felt true pity for the girl; I was sure to drive her even more insane than Renault…

I kicked the doors open and jumped into the Great Hall. I saw Jauffre going over some reports with Caroline and Martin; I waved at them as Maren came in. She was panting at the effort of running halfway up the mountain. Caroline gave a halfhearted wave while Jauffre did something truly hurtful; he took one look at me and burst into tears. Caroline looked at the crying man pitifully while Martin was laughing his ass off. I smirked and spotted Renault coming out of the East Wing.

"Renault my darling!" I shouted and ran to greet her; she smiled and held out her arms. I was three feet away when a heavy metal boot came out of nowhere and nailed me in the gut. I toppled over in pain as Renault started to stomp on my injured stomach repeatedly. Maren stared at us in shock; to her, I was a highly skilled assassin who not only banished a whole legion of daedra back to Oblivion, I also went in there and did who knows how much damage at the heart of their existence. To see me like this seemed blasphemous.

Renault spotted the shocked girl and misunderstood her presence. She resumed her efforts with twice the ferocity. "Replaced me have you?" she yelled. I kept trying to explain while our audience had varying reactions. The Blades were watching us with horrified faces while Martin was on the floor laughing his guts out. Jauffre was slamming his own head on the table while bemoaning the bleak future of the Empire. Maren actually blushed an immensely interesting shade of red at the implication and fainted…

_Ow…_

_Ow…_

_Ow…_

_Her boobs are bouncing…_

_Ow…_

_Ow…_

_Ow…_

_They got bigger…_

_Ow…_

_Ow…_

_Ow…_

…_not the balls, not the balls, NOT THE BALLS!_

* * *

><p><em>And that's the end of this three part chapter!<em>

_Please review!_


	17. Chapter 14  Preview

_Ok, this isn't actually a whole chapter; it's more of an incomplete thing that I wanted to put up. The thing is, I need to rewrite this story a bit. Seems that I've lost the original idea of the story and started wandering off. I'll not completely redo the story, I'm just gonna fine-tune previous chapters._

_Fine-tune, as in smooth out the edges, take out some parts, add in new elements, etc._

_I'll still be with Renault and there will be a baby, but some stuff needs to be fixed._

_Now on to the story!_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Becoming a Hero<strong>_

* * *

><p><em><em>_They got bigger…_

_Ow…_

_Ow…_

_Ow…_

…_not the balls, not the balls, NOT THE BALLS!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14 – Flashes: From Back to Front<strong>

* * *

><p>Renault eventually calmed down and let me explain.<p>

Well, Caroline and Jena dragged her away kicking and screaming while the men helped me up. Maren woke up and quietly explored the Temple; she was still blushing…

"So she's your apprentice," stated a calm Renault. She was dressed in a long green robe that accentuated her growing belly and heavy fur boots. We were relaxing in our room; she was letting me explain at sword-point…

"Yup," I quipped. "She's going to be learning whatever I plan to teach her. Maren seems like a very competent archer and blade user; she just needs to learn to be more subtle…" Renault looked at me incredulously and I almost pouted at her disbelief. "I can be subtle when the occasion calls for it; it's just that most of our previous situations called for a degree of flamboyance, showmanship, and utter awesomeness!" I waved my arms dramatically to emphasize my points.

My pregnant wife giggled at my antics. We spent the rest of the day and most of the night talking/cuddling/trying to strangle me…

It was almost midnight when Renault fell asleep; I slowly extricated myself from her embrace and went to find Jauffre and Martin. I found them with a surprisingly wide awake Maren in the West Wing dining hall.

"Ahh, Arthur," Jauffre called when he spotted me; he waved me over to the table they were sitting at. Martin and Maren were putting some sheaves of parchment away; looked like a few maps and some notes scribbled messily. "I've received news from Baurus. He's found out the identities of a few Mythic Dawn agents and is currently tracking their activities."

* * *

><p><em>That's what I got so far for Chapter 14. See what new stuff appears in the rewritten chapters.<em>

_PM or just review this chapter if you have any suggestions, comments, or flaming spears of doom for me. Please be reminded that I'm an insane college student with voices in my head, a slight obsession with noodles, knowledge of island voodoo, and a frighteningly minimal lack of morals concerning human life…_


	18. Author's Note

Hi everyone!

I'm back…sort of…

There are a few…roadblocks preventing me from finishing _Becoming a Hero_… The main one is…lack of inspiration…

For those of you that know the saying, _**"…once you've looked down from the top, you'll never forget the view…"**_ you'll understand that when I say I'm completely uninspired by Oblivion as of December.

For those of you that don't get it, let me put it this way; I played Skyrim…I don't think I'll ever be able to go back to Oblivion now that I've seen the next great adventure.

So I need some advice.

I have two paths ahead of me in regards to _Becoming a Hero_.

Path One has me trying to find the end unsuccessfully.

Path Two has me ending the story prematurely, yet elegantly, and moving on to the future…

Please decide, as I've set up a poll on my profile.

I really don't want to abandon this story as is; if there's any one that could possibly continue this story and take it to new heights later on, I'll gladly hand over _Becoming a Hero_.

_Walk far, Life is too short for indecision…_

_**Older than Time**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>A possible beginning to the next adventure:<strong>_

_Ugh…_

_Head hurts, mouth tastes like ash and I feel like a Xivilai is squeezing my brain; I'm really hung over…_

_**Wood creaking, world is swaying and there are two Nords talking about something…**_

_Stop the swaying! Ugh, I'm probably on the Bloated Float, considering how drunk I am and that horrible creaking and swaying…_

_I slowly pull myself up onto a bench and grab my aching head; or at least I tried to…_

_For some reason, my hands are tied together and bound to my waist. I wiggle them a bit but they aren't loosening up. My eyes are stinging from the blaring light, which is strange, since I'm in the main room of a dingy tavern. I hesitantly open my eyes and find myself in a very unfamiliar place._

"So, I see that you're finally awake," says the Nord in front of me. I stare at him warily, examining his attire. He too is bound as I am, yet he seems unconcerned. The blonde Nord is wearing a strange leather and chainmail uniform with a large blue sash across his torso. The two men to his left (and my right) are also bound like us, though the one nest to me is gagged.

I slowly form words, mainly because my mouth is unbearably dry. "Where am I?" I ask. The Nord chuckles and nods his head at the driver of the swaying cart. It's an Imperial wearing unfamiliar armor.

"You are in the custody of the Imperial Legion my friend," he says ruefully. I glance at the so-called Legionnaire curiously; he's not wearing a Legion uniform I mutter to my new friend. He laughs sharply and says, "Not wearing? What era are you from lad? That's been the garb of the blasted Imperial Legion for a hundred years!"

"Huh?" I ask. "No it isn't… The armor is supposed to be solid steel, isn't it? Or is that the armor of the actual army instead of those from Cyrodiil?" The Nord quirks an eyebrow at me, but my answer comes from the ragged man to his left.

"The Legion hasn't had solid steel armor since the end of the Third Era," he whispers. My eyes widen at that; I remembered playing through the entirety of _**Oblivion**_ and there was no possible way of getting into the Fourth Era!

"Uhhh, where are we? As in country I mean…" I stutteringly ask. All three Nords just stare at me before the raggedy one says,

"You're in the Fatherland; Skyrim of course."

_Ah shit…_

* * *

><p><em>And there's what could be the next in the <em>_**Becoming a Hero Series – Becoming a Legend.**_

_BUT!_

_I will be going to the Shivering Isles, just not as the one chosen to become Sheogorath!_

_It will be someone that I said was important in __**BaH**__, but will appear in this possible story._

_And Renault and our unborn child will still play crucial roles in the next story._


	19. Petition

Sorry for this, but this is not a true update. Just me feeling the need to express my displeasure.

It has recently come to my attention that whoever it is that administrates this fine site, have suddenly become very anal and are planning to remove stories with lemons as well as stories with excessive violence. In my opinion that's one of the dumbest ideas they could come up with. I've read quite a few stories that while they may contain a lemon or two, their content isn't simply about the steamy bits. Take stories by Kenchi618, his stories are entirely plot driven and focus more on action and adventure than anything else. Hell the epic that is In Flight contains a scene that could be considered a 'lemon'. I will be damned if I lose these stories. And I hope many of my fellow authors and readers will be in similar positions address this travesty.

This is a site where people gather to write and read stories. Good ones and not so good ones. But it's all a way that we can all express ourselves. Sure it's fan fiction. But by the gods we love it and I wont stand for people putting a chain on creative ingenuity. The moment that starts happening, well, I liken it to someone pumping poison into the veins. Help save this site before that poison kills it.

forum. fanfiction topic/111772/63683250/1/#63698621

Psudocode_Samurai

Rocketman1728

dracohalo117

VFSNAKE

Agato the Venom Host

Jay Frost

SamCrow

Blood Brandy

Dusk666

Hisea Ori

The Dark Graven

BlackRevenant

Lord Orion Salazar Black

Sakusha Saelbu

Horocrux

socras01

Kumo no Makoto

Biskoff

Korraganitar the NightShadow

NightInk

Lazruth

ragnrock kyuubi

SpiritWriterXXX

Ace6151

FleeingReality

Harufu

Exiled crow

Slifer1988

Dee Laynter

Angeldoctor

Final Black Getsuga

ZamielRaizunto

Fenris187

blood enraged

arashiXnoXkami

tstoldt

Mystic 6 tailed Naruto

ElementalMaster16

Dark Vizard447

Darth Void Sage of the Force

Shiso no Kitsune

The Sinful

Kage640

Ihateheroes

swords of twilight

Kyuubi16

darthkamon

narutodragon

bunji the wolf

Cjonwalrus

Killjoy3000

blueexorist

White Whiskey

Ying the Nine Tail Fox

Gin of the wicked smile

tstoldt

The wolf god Fenri

JazzyJ09

sleepers4u

The Unknown 007

Gallantmon228

MKTerra

Gunbladez19

Forgottenkami

RHatch89

SoulKingonCrack

Dreadman75

Knives91

The Lemon Sage

Dark Spidey

VioletTragedies

Eon The Cat of Shadows

kazikamikaze24

animegamemaster6

LLOYDROCKS

demented-squirrel

swords of dawn

The Immoral Flame

blueexorist

Challenger

Shywhitefox

drp83

Bethrezen

Dragon6

bellxross

unweymexicano

The First Kitsukage

kingdom219

brown phantom

littleking9512

kurokamiDG

Auumaan

FrancineBlossom

BDG420

Her Dark Poet

bloodrosepsycho

Shen an Calhar

NarutoMasterSage4040

Masamune X23

Kuromoki

Sliver Lynx

devilzxknight86

Unis Crimson

Zero X Limit

SinX. Retribution

reven228

JAKdaRIPPER

Third Fang

IRAssault

Grumpywinter

absolutezero001

Single Silver Eye

animekingmike

Daniel Lynx

zerohour20xx

arturus

Iseal

Silvdra-Zero

YoukoTaichou

Leonineus

Soulblazer87

Fiori75

Older than Time


	20. Announcement

_**ANNOUNCEMENT!**_

_I will be start publishing __**Becoming a Legend**__ in a week or so while finishing up __**Becoming a Hero**__ at the same time. Please be patient for just a bit longer while I get through some rough patches in the real world._

_As for my other stories, a few will be either moved to my __**Newborn Ideas**__ compilation or might be removed completely. A few well reviewed ones might actually become full-fledged fics themselves!_

_However, I regret to inform those that follow my __**Magical Secrets at Sea II: Piracy in Scotland**__ that that particular fic will be discontinued. I apologize, but I just can't seem to get anything to come out right._

_Anyone wishing to adopt the story can PM me and I'll send them my notes and the unfinished chapter I have for it._

_Thank you for your time,_

_I'm __**Older than Time!**_

_**A List of Fic changes that will be made:**_

_**Title of Fic – Destination/Action Taken**_

_Ultimate Ninja Reality - Newborn Ideas_

_Through the Looking Glass - Pending Rewrite_

_God's Disciples – Newborn Ideas_

_Descending From Heaven: Reset – Discontinued, Left up for Posterity_

_Becoming a Hero – To be Finished_

_Becoming a Legend: Prototype Prologues – Title Change: __**Becoming a Wanderer – One-Shot Collection**_

_Becoming a Legend – To Be Begun by July 10, 2012_

_Magical Secrets at Sea II: Piracy in Scotland – Discontinued/Put up for Adoption_


	21. Chapter 14 for real!

_Here is chapter 14. You've been a wonderful audience and I hope to get this story finished in a timely, yet fulfilling way. The ending will be either one of the __**BaL Prologues **__or a surprise one! Also, I'm sorry if this chapter doesn't measure up to my other ones. It's weird writing for Oblivion again and I'm kinda writing __**BaL**__ right alongside this story. Combine that with __**Journey to the Black**__ and __**Forward Unto a New Dawn**__ andI'm suffering from multi-dimensional writer's syndrome…_

_It's pretty cool…_

* * *

><p><em>For those unable to remember what my character's appearance and loadout, here's a brief description:<em>

_Altair's robes and armor from AC I,_

_A silver longsword (unenchanted) on my left hip,_

_An elven shortsword in place of Altair's shortblade,_

_A hidden wristblade on my right arm,_

_A Bag of Holding,_

_50 iron arrows in a quiver on my lower back; resting diagonally with arrows toward my right side,_

_And a steel bow under a guardsman shield of Kvatch on my back._

_Gold (700)_

_Now on to the story!_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Becoming a Hero<strong>_

* * *

><p><em>They got bigger…<em>

_Ow…_

_Ow…_

_Ow…_

…_not the balls, not the balls, NOT THE BALLS!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14 – Flashes: From Back to Front<strong>

Renault calmed down…eventually…

Well, Caroline and Jena dragged her away kicking and screaming while the men helped me up. Maren woke up and staggered off; she was probably exploring the compound…

"So she's your apprentice," stated a calm Renault. She was dressed in a long green robe that accentuated her growing belly and heavy fur boots. We were 'relaxing' in our room (she was letting me explain at sword-point).

"Yup," I quipped. "She's going to be learning whatever I decide to teach her. Maren seems like a very competent archer and blade user; she just needs to learn to be more subtle…" Renault looked at me incredulously and I almost pouted at her disbelief. "I can be subtle when the occasion calls for it; it's just that most of our previous situations called for a degree of flamboyance, showmanship, and utter awesomeness!" I waved my arms dramatically to emphasize my points.

My pregnant wife snorted at me good-naturedly. We spent the rest of the day and most of the night talking/cuddling/trying to strangle me…

It was almost midnight when Renault fell asleep; I slowly extricated myself from her embrace and went to find Jauffre and Martin. I found them with a surprisingly wide awake Maren in the West Wing dining hall.

"Ahh, Arthur," Jauffre called when he spotted me; he waved me over to the table they were sitting at. Martin and Maren were putting some sheaves of parchment away; looked like a few maps and some notes scribbled messily. "I've received news from Baurus. He's found out the identities of a few Mythic Dawn agents and is currently tracking their activities."

"I see…" I was going over what I knew of the quest in my head as Jauffre explained my mission. Basically, I needed to go to the IC, meet up with Baurus, and back him up in the sewers. Maren, my wondrous apprentice, was taking careful notes and asked the occasional question as he nattered on about our newest intel. Baurus located a small cell of agents and needed someone more suited for sewer skulking than he was to sneak in. There were a few other details that I left Maren to take note of as I went up to sleep. As I lay in bed I was hit with a single thought; Renault wasn't gonna like this…

I was right; she was _piiiiiisssssssed_… She kicked my ass, Jauffre's ass, and scolded Martin in a very cross tone. Her lecture ended right at lunch; I served her the choicest parts of the roast boar in an effort to appease my darling wife's temper.

The Blades gave us a wide berth as Jauffre lay where Renault left him, groaning and moaning in pain; poor bastard. The worst part was when Renault started listing all sorts of crap that I should watch out for, things I really needed to avoid, etc. Sure I willingly walked into Oblivion, charged into a castle full of daedra, sneak into a stronghold full of the Dark Brotherhood…maybe she has a point…

Anyways, Jauffre hobbled next to me as I left the Temple. He handed me Baurus's new orders and joined Renault as she watched our progress from above the Temple Gate. I decided to leave Maren behind. Renault needed more friends and I needed someone to keep Arcturus in line. A win-win situation in my book.

* * *

><p><em>Somewhere in northern Cyrodiil…<em>

I made good time heading roughly south-southeast along the dirt roads. Unfortunately, a few bandits tried stopping me along the way. It's quite sad how easily they die…

Anyways, as my horse trotted its way to the IC, I contemplated the strange ability I had. By _'Speaking'_, as I had come to call it, I could create or alter the nature of the world. I made many changes to the land and created a name for myself just by telling a few 'white' lies at certain points of my adventure. It's rather unnerving now that I think about it…

The most unnerving of which was my sudden jump in skill with spells. Before getting to Bruma with Martin, I was pretty much limited to flinging fireballs and paralysis spells at increasingly smaller intervals. I was never really able to cast any of the Master Class spells with any rate of success until that one moment. The sheer power running through me was frightening…and deliriously empowering…

I kinda wondered if the strange new feel of my magicka was connected to my inability to activate the Devil Bringer. I tried activating many times before and failed each time. It was like there was this impenetrable barrier with the devil's arm lying just within my sight, yet I was unable to pass said barrier. But now with this new power, I subconsciously knew that the Devil Bringer was waiting for the right moment to reveal itself. I wondered if its activation was also linked to the 'gift' from Lachance…

* * *

><p><em>-The Imperial City, Somewhere in the sewers…ewww.<em>

_Two figures stealthily made their way into enemy territory, deep below the Imperial City. The dashing hero and his plucky sidekick moved with animal-like grace, easily sidestepping every obstac-_

**CLANG!**

"Damn it Baurus!"

The idiot insisted on coming with me. We met up at the inn, killed the agent there, got the stupid book and did the whole quest thing… It took us three whole days to get the damn name of that stupid Bosmer with the third book. Two of those days were spent sweet talking the bookstore clerk. Baurus flirted with the clerk while I was perusing the selection available.

The clerk was a guy…

Awkward…

We finally got the third book from the elf when I spotted him going back to the hotel he was at. I had a very cunning plan to get the book; I had Baurus hang around the Arena District so he wouldn't get in the way. I snuck into his suite, bashed him on the head with a chair and escaped with the book.

It was a good plan.

So here we are, a few dozen feet below ground in the most disgusting place in Cyrodiil. The damn Blade insisted on coming even though he has absolutely no experience in sneaking. So far we've run into eight packs of sewer rats, fifteen oversized mudcrabs and eight crazy beggars. We could have gone around every single one of them but Baurus believes in glorious victory. That means to go charging at every enemy with a sword drawn, shouting at the top of his lungs. It would have been more impressive if he wasn't tripping and falling into the sewer muck as he did it. Then it became bloody hilarious.

After three hours of mucking it through the sewers, we came upon the meeting place.

"Alright, we're here. I'll go in though this door and you can cover me from the second floor. Hopefully we'll both come out of this alive."

I shrugged and did as Baurus planned. The meeting went the same as the game quest, only I took out the two Dawn agents on the second floor before they even cleared the other room. This left Baurus and the other guy, something Camorran. You'd think that the sound would echo since we were in a sewer I could barely hear them from up here. Evidently, the Camorran guy figured out that Baurus was a Blade. However he decided to try and run away instead of kill Baurus.

He ran right up the stairs where I was waiting. As Camorran Jr. ran past, I yanked out my shortblade and stabbed him in the chest. He gurgled as blood flowed out of him in rivets and Baurus came running up the stairs. He smirked as the elf collapsed and searched his robes.

"Ah ha!"

Out of the robes, Baurus pulled out the fourth _Commentaries_ book and tossed it to me.

"Take that to my Argonian friend at the Arcane University. She'll find the location of the hideout now that we have this."

I glanced through the book and smirked.

"Or I could just go to Green Emperor's Way and find the map."

At Baurus's clueless expression, I showed him the book.

"If you take the first letter of every paragraph in the fourth book, it spells out Noon at Green Emperor's Way. So the map must be hidden somewhere on a tombstone and is revealed at noon."

Baurus just gaped at me as I smirked in triumph. I gave him a cheery wave and ditched him, running back the way we came.

* * *

><p><em>-Anvil, 2 days later…<em>

I was strolling down the docks, whistling a happy tune. The map was exactly where it was in the game and I was on my way back to Cloud Ruler. I decided to do a little shopping, perusing the shops in Anvil for a decent crib as a surprise for Renault. The Anvil Dock District was pretty packed today. There were dozens of men and mer bustling about, loading and unloading ships. Some stall-keepers shouted to passing shoppers, hawking their wares. I even spotted a few pickpockets; unlucky for them, the guards spotted the thieves as well.

I sidestepped a young Breton boy, likely a delivery boy judging from his paper-filled satchel when I felt a strange sensation. It felt like I was being watched; only the tingling was accompanied by the familiar stench of Oblivion. Something was watching me.

Something from beyond Nirn…

Shuddering, I walked over to one of the shops left out by Bethesda, _Jarril's Imports_. From what I could see in the windows, the shop was filled with furniture and other similar goods. In I went and was immediately greeted by a cheerful looking Khajiit in a red robe.

"This one welcomes you to Jarril's Imports, provider of housewares from throughout the Empire. How may Jarril help you today?"

I glanced around and asked,

"Yeah, can you show me anything you have for babies; specifically for newborns and their mothers?"

Jarril perked up, his ears twitching excitedly.

"Ah, a father too be you are? Jarril is pleased to help you. Come this way; I have much to show."

I was guided to a section filled with nursery style furniture. There were a few cribs, bassinets, rocking chairs and a single small bathing tub. Only one of the cribs and a rocking chair really stood out. They painted a deep mahogany with gold inlayed into the swirling designs on both. I knew exactly where I'd seen them before; my own home back in my world. Both items were passed down from my great grandmother and were last used by my youngest cousin on my mother's side.

I purchased them at once and quickly discovered an amazing fact about my Bag. The opening could expand to make anything fit. I practically cackled with glee as I stored the crib and chair while Jarril watched dumbfounded. I paid him 500 gold with another 50 as a tip.

I left Anvil an hour later by carriage, heading straight for Bruma and Cloud Ruler Temple.

* * *

><p><em>Hopefully I can get a few more chapters out by the end of the month.<em>

_Azura guide you,_

_Older than Time_


	22. Chapter 145

**Becoming a Hero**

* * *

><p>I left Anvil an hour later by carriage, heading straight for Bruma and Cloud Ruler Temple.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14.5 – Wailing weekends<strong>

* * *

><p>"ARTHUUUUUUURR!"<p>

The sounds of my wife's dulcet tones were accompanied by the wails of an infant only a few weeks old.

I scrambled into the building at a breakneck pace, dodging around a scroll-laden Jauffre and Roliand who was scrubbing the floors. Up and up I went, taking the stairs three at a time and skidded to a halt just outside our room. I opened the door and was greeted by my frantic wife and bawling child. Renault was lightly rocking our blanket-swaddled daughter in her arms, nervously trying to calm her down.

"I don't know what's wrong Arthur!" Renault cried. "I've fed her, burped her, changed her; I even played that absurd 'peek-a-boo' game you usually do." I calmly took our baby into my arms and sat by the tear-stained mother. Immediately the little one stopped crying and was softly snoring in my arms. Renault gaped in shock while I smiled smugly at her.

_Arthur 7, Renault 83…_

"_How in the bloody hell do you do that?!"_ Renault whispered to me. I shrugged stating that she was a daddy's girl, through and through. Renault huffed jealously at us but still gave me a thankful smile in gratitude.

"Some kids are just like that; it's a subconscious need for affection from the parent they feel is more distant than the other." Renault just pouted, not believing me. I nudged her softly and whispered, "She loves you just as much love. Remember that she never lies still unless you're by her side? Or perhaps when it's time to change her nappies and she squirms whenever I come near but squeals in delight when you do it?"

Renault sighed and said, "Of course. She's just picky…"

"Just like her mom!" I said smiling widely. Renault chuckled and leaned against me as the sun rose outside.

* * *

><p><em>Just little something that popped up while I was fiddling with chapter 15. The scene wouldn't stop popping up but didn't quite fit the chapter itself.<em>

_I'm almost done with the next chapters for my active stories. I just moved to Vegas and am now looking for a job, wish me luck!_

_**MINOR UPDATE:**_

_I had lost my bags (they somehow ended up in Japan…without me…). I just got them back Monday. I'll be able to update my stories now, so expect much more frequent ones. Well, frequent compared to what used to happen._


	23. Chapter 15

_Glad to be back and writing this story. Please note that this will seem rather rushed as I will be covering over what I believe were the most essential parts of the Main Quest and leaving out the others for your imagination. I will hopefully finish the Daedric Invasion by chapter 20 and will likely cover the Shivering Isles in a separate side story starring Maron, Kishni (half-khajiit, half-high-elf child) and my family._

* * *

><p><strong>Becoming a Hero<strong>

* * *

><p>I purchased them at once and quickly discovered an amazing fact about my Bag. The opening could expand to make anything fit. I practically cackled with glee as I stored the crib and chair while Jarril watched dumbfounded. I paid him 500 gold with another 50 as a tip.<p>

I left Anvil an hour later by carriage, heading straight for Bruma and Cloud Ruler Temple.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15 – Flashes: Infiltrating the Mythic Dawn<strong>

_I am awesome._

_Period._

_Renault adored the crib and rocking chair; her squealing attracted Caroline and Jena up to our room who then shooed me out of the room. I would have been very put out if not for the searing almost-mouth raping Renault had rewarded me with when I unveiled the gifts. I had picked up a few other stuff on the way back here. Mostly what I thought were essential for any growing baby girl and her wonderful mother:_

_A few dozen rolls of the softest fabrics in varying color for clothing,_

_A kilo of cloth diapers, each exceptionally absorbent and mostly disposable (I love the __Fireball__ spell!),_

_A few colorful children's books full of folktales and nursery rhymes,_

_And a set of alarm and communication crystals (Tamriel's version of a set of baby moniters: made of crystals and heinously expensive…)._

I was sitting in the main hall, enjoying a half-pint of honeyed mead with Belisarius and Baragon when Jauffre joined us. The old man still had it out for me concerning Renault. He may have 'given' away at the wedding but he still thought I was a bloody idiot who he had to trust despite his misgivings.

"Good evening you three, pass the mead over would you?" _*mead is passed, poured and drunk with a mild flourish*_ "Arthur, while I didn't approve of you just disappearing right after a mission I am rather pleased with the results. Not only do we now have a clearer objective and the location of the Mythic Dawn's headquarters, we also have a rather high morale. With you and Renault's newborn daughter and the rapidly progressing skills of Martin, the Temple can't help but have the highest hopes for the Empire's future."

Jauffre stopped and downed his mead quickly, sighing in appreciation for my returning gift of spirits. I had made sure to grab a few crates' worth of mead, ale and decent wine. I ended up buying a horse and cart to carry all the stuff I bought on the way back. Said horse and cart are currently in the stable just outside the Temple. I donated both to the Blades which Jauffre was grateful for as well.

I shrugged happily and finished my mead. The day was nearly done and I couldn't be happier. Well I could actually. I still was plagued by the possible future and the likelyhood of death for myself and my new comrades.

_Speaking of comrades, where's Maron?_

Asking the three men with me, I learned that she had joined Renault's little group up in our room. Women…_*sigh*_

Anyways, I decided to go check on them and possibly steal my apprentice away for awhile; Renault was being so stingy, hogging my minion all to herself… I peeked through the door and found the four women chatting gaily with the fabrics strew all over the bed. I cleared my throat, gaining their attention.

"'Scuse me ladies; might I borrow my mini-…I mean apprentice? I'd like to get to teaching her, if you don't mind…"

They didn't even get a chance to answer before Maron shot up, grabbed my arm and yanked me all the way outside the Temple, grinning like a loon all the way.

* * *

><p>"Need I explain this again?! You run at a steady pace, not full tilt! Keep balanced by lowering your center of gravity and steadying your breathing!"<p>

Maron and I were at these Ayleid ruins somewhere west and a bit south of Cloud Ruler. I was using the tarnished and aged stone walls to teach Maron to free-run effectively. She's gotten the hang of scaling obstacles quickly and has so far managed to leap from one level to the next without losing momentum. The problem was that she easily wears herself out by going full out at the beginning and not conserving her energy for later.

"I-I'm sorry _*sniffle*_"

And she's in tears again… Sighing softly, I once again demonstrate how to advance through the ruins quickly while avoiding the fake bandits and false traps I set up. All she had to do was dodge the traps without setting them off and take out the 'bandits' without getting knocked over herself. It's been a few days since we left Cloud Ruler and Maron has done a great job so far. Now I just need to get her a bit more rounded in her combat evasion and counter killing before I deem her ready. Well, ready enough for me not to worry too much.

I was about to make her run the course again when Maron stiffened and an arrow whizzed past me. I whirled around and saw a few of the maroon idiots. I smirked and said,

"And here are some practice dummies! Take the two on the left and I'll take the seven on the right!"

She barely had time to agree as I had already thrown myself from the twenty foot wall we were standing on. I landed on the grass below with nary a sound and flung a Firestorm spell at the group. Like I planned, four of my targets were incinerated on the spot and two others were knocked on their asses. The last one managed to cast a Flameguard of some sort at the last moment. I heard a loud curse and say that Maron had already taken out two of her targets. The third was the one giving her a hard time. He managed to conjure his armor and she couldn't get a clear shot at the bastard's head.

I flung a weak Flare at him before I went to finish my own fight.

The two downed agents managed to recover enough to conjure their armor while the other took cover in the trees. She would pop out and fling a few Fireballs at me as the her two comrades came at me, maces high. I shook my head and _**focused.**_

_**Time slowed down as I stared down my targets. They moved in slow motion as I ran at them. I ducked under a wide, slow-mo swing and gutted the first agent with my shortsword. I spun lightly on my toes and grappled with the next one. I stunned him with my blade's pommel to his gut and slammed him into the path of the hiding agent's next **__**Fireball**__**.**_

_**The body hadn't even touched the ground when I flung a dagger at the out-of-cover agents, the blade sinking to the hilt into her chest.**_

_**I let the world speed up and…**_

I spotted Maron finishing her guy. She lead him against the ruin's walls, laying her trap. She dropkicked him in the gut, knocking the fool back a few feet and readied the only spell she knew (and the only one I taught her…).

She raised her hands up and lightning danced across her palms, gathering in a melon-sized orb. Grinning widely, Maron flung her hands forward and let the loose, crying

"White Lightning!"

The ribbons of electricity shot to the agent and went right through him, leaving a fist-sized whole in his chest. Maron collapsed on her ass as the smoking corpse fell. I trudged up to her and ruffled her brown hair. She smiled up at me and I couldn't have been more proud.

_Looking back to that day, I wondered what happened to me. I was happy that I managed to teach a young woman to kill a man with no remorse and lots of joy…_


End file.
